Lyn, the Lincoln Archives Digital Project has been online for 10 years.  We
were trying to charge $15 per month for full access to the records.  But
people expect to have everything on the Internet free.  We have been
providing quality color images of the documents from the Archives related
to the Lincoln Administration and the Civil War.  We don't advertise, and
we don't put any microfilm online.  Our images are from the original
records.

Let me give you an example of the costs involved with our digital project.
It is costing approximately $200 per month to  provide access to 30,000 +
documents.  To hire one scanner @$15.00 per hour = $160 per day, etc.
Creating a content management system that is both user friendly, an able to
hold large holdings, costs anywhere between $20,000 and $50,000.  Then
there is the uploading documents, transcribing them to make them fully
searchable, since they are handwritten, requires either volunteers, or
doing it ourselves. We don't outsource any of our document work to third
world countries.  It is all done in America, by Americans.

I had a scholar tell me that this project was for the betterment of man,
and it should be freely available.  I, in turn, stated that since I have
been doing this for ten years, that he should consider teaching free for 10
years, and the next time he writes a book, he should give it away.

If you have ever been to the National Archives, you would know that the
records are not inventoried in any manner.  We are systematically going
through every box, locating the records created during the Lincoln
Administration.

There has to be a cost, but yes, I totally agree that companies like
Ancestry and Fold3 (who has their indexing done by third world countries,
and why it is so horrible) charge outrageous subscription fees, and those
who have never visited the Archives think that if it can't be found on
their websites, it doesn't exist.

Karen


On Fri, May 24, 2013 at 12:15 PM, Lyn Lanier <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> records are coming on line but they are scattered, electronic record are
> best thing ever. How ever cost for the services seem really out of balance
> for the real cost production. I only hope this problem can find a better
> product to cost ratio. Researchers
> need the quality to go up and prices to go down.
>
>
>
> On Thu, May 23, 2013 at 3:28 PM, Lyle E. Browning <[log in to unmask]
> >wrote:
>
> > I totally agree on the MF on computer issue. It's an intermediate step,
> in
> > my view, and better then the MF viewers because it is copyable onto a
> stick
> > drive. But as you have so ably stated, colors are vital to
> interpretation,
> > especially on the cartographic side of the aisle, as it were. Not only
> > that, the handwriting is sometimes impossible to discern except on the
> > original where the penstroke can be seen in slanting light. And a lot of
> > pages in MF were unreadable. When copiers were first put into libraries,
> 10
> > cents a page was reasonable, but with the costs steadily rising, forget
> it.
> > The NA outsourced its copy facilities with the results you've mentioned.
> > With the mindset of some folks there, the next thing will be to shut it
> all
> > down as nobody is buying anything;) What, look at root causes? Not us.
> >
> > So yes, let's push for high resolution color copies on the net for
> > download and get it done once and right. Sears Roebuck's turn of the 20th
> > century catalogue had an advert that said "Every man his own blacksmith"
> > selling a handcrank forge implying that for the most part, people could
> fix
> > things. Our current and haltingly developing digital age enables all of
> us
> > to do our own research with some amazingly good results based on
> > information that was local, regional and national in repository sites
> that
> > due to inadequate indexing, never was known to exist outside the small
> > circles of the repository.
> >
> > How does one go about getting the Library of VA to restart their fabulous
> > scanner that was shut down a few years ago due to funding cuts? Can we
> > raise enough of an hue and cry to get funding reinstated?
> >
> > Lyle Browning
> >
> >
> > On May 23, 2013, at 11:01 AM, Karen Needles wrote:
> >
> > > Lyle, I completely agree with your points on how access is allowing
> > > researchers to see and use more resources than ever before.  And I also
> > > agree that the cost of copies, if reasonably priced, will see
> > institutions
> > > with revenue to continue their digitization.  The Lincoln Archives
> > project
> > > is now providing free access to the website, but if the user wants hard
> > > copies, it will cost them $1.50 per page.  These are in color, 450 dpi
> > > resolution image.  This cost pays for the scanning, conversion, and
> > storage
> > > of the images on the server.  Compared to having to physically visit
> the
> > > National Archives, pay for travel and lodging, the cost is minimal.
> > >
> > > Charging outrageous prices for microfilm on DVD is actually hurting the
> > > institutions.  For example, the National Archives is now charging $138
> > for
> > > microfilm, and the same price for the images on DVD.  So who is buying
> > the
> > > product.  No one.  If they charged a reasonable price $35 or less for
> the
> > > DVD, they would get orders and make the conversion worth the price,
> > > especially for those outside of the country.
> > >
> > > As to digitizing from microfilm.  No one wants to look at microfilm on
> a
> > > viewer, so why would they want to look at it on a computer screen?  If
> > the
> > > libraries and institutions are actually trying to spend their money
> > wisely,
> > > digitizing the documents in color, in their original state, at a high
> > > resolution, not only meets preserving the document as it should be, but
> > > providing valuable data that cannot be provided with grayscale black
> and
> > > white images.  19th century Civil War era documents contain data on red
> > and
> > > blue ink that is lost with microfilm.  I know that a lot of archivists
> > and
> > > librarians out there think that the text is good enough.  The color is
> > not
> > > important.  Shame on them.
> > >
> > > If money is limited, do it right, and do it once.  Digitizing
> microfilm,
> > is
> > > going the cheap and dirty route, in the end, not doing anything to
> > preserve
> > > the records, nor to provide the researchers with accurate data.
> > > Karen
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, May 23, 2013 at 10:39 AM, Lyle E. Browning <[log in to unmask]
> > >wrote:
> > >
> > >> It is a question of whether the holding bodies see themselves as
> > guardians
> > >> of information or disseminators of information for the better use of
> us
> > >> all. High copy prices have restrained research for years. Copy prices
> > had
> > >> risen to very high levels for privately funded researchers. The advent
> > of
> > >> digital cameras and scanners meant that the information could be
> > retained
> > >> for later use. I also think that the quality of research would be
> > higher as
> > >> the originals versus the inevitably distilled notes would show a
> better
> > >> result. In my view, it is a dubious proposition that the holding body
> > would
> > >> also retain copyright over the images, unless that particular item was
> > >> unique. The internet has allowed me to accumulate via Google, Project
> > >> Gutenberg and others a far wider and better set of background
> materials
> > >> than I could EVER otherwise have managed, even in three lifetimes. As
> a
> > >> result, often amazingly obscure publications are available to download
> > that
> > >> allow folks on a limited budget to go farther with their research than
> > >> otherwise would be possible.
> > >>
> > >> The British model hinders research and is far more restrictive on what
> > >> constitutes fair use than in the USA. Scrooges is the term that has
> been
> > >> used with every copy costing far more than perceived worth.
> > >>
> > >> And I might point out that digital cameras cause less damage to
> > >> publications than do photocopiers as they need only be opened to 90°
> > rather
> > >> than flattened. The inevitable bulge caused by the binding stress when
> > >> flattened is eliminated with the 90° approach. That might be something
> > to
> > >> be emphasized in the holding bodies.
> > >>
> > >> I also understand that holding bodies have expenses. I have suggested
> to
> > >> the Library of VA that for each digital copy taken, that the same be
> > placed
> > >> in their computers. In the course of a few years, an amazing amount of
> > >> material would be digitized that otherwise would remain in microfilm.
> > >> Thankfully, a work-around with digital copies of microfilm has
> replaced
> > the
> > >> MF readers. But those had their benefits as, in addition to producing
> > >> vertigo, they also allowed one's right arm to be built up to amazing
> > >> proportions;)
> > >>
> > >> I proposed about 15 years ago that the Archeological Society of VA
> > >> digitize its Quarterly Bulletins. Along with Special Publications, we
> > have
> > >> over $70k tied up in paper that takes enormous space for what we have
> > >> available. The stick drives are priced at an intentionally low figure
> > and
> > >> would have been lower had not the USPS envelope scanners not stripped
> > out
> > >> the drives. We have compared sales figures with hard copies versus
> > digital
> > >> and there is no comparison, as they say. Digital copies are moving
> > quickly,
> > >> hard copies are moving for a very few, albeit slowly, but for most,
> one
> > >> sale per 5 years. We are looking at transitioning from hard copies as
> we
> > >> run out of some to a full digital offering and have offered hard
> copies
> > >> gratis. But ASV's mission is the dissemination of information so that
> it
> > >> can be used.
> > >>
> > >> Lyle Browning
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On May 23, 2013, at 9:28 AM, Paul Heinegg wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> The Maryland Archives has mostly completed the conversion of their
> > >> microfilm to CDs. They helped pay for the conversion by selling CDs at
> > $60
> > >> each. (The price may be a bit  higher now. They have raised it
> gradually
> > >> from $20 when they first started about ten years ago to $60 as of
> three
> > or
> > >> four years ago).
> > >>> All Maryland deeds are available on-line in PDF from any computer.
> > >>> Paul
> > >>>
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