Alice:

I have been using digital cameras for several years and have taken a great 
deal of pictures and it is far superior to making paper copies at your library. 
Today you can buy a great camera for no more than $200. I use one of the 
Nikon Coolpix models that has a no flash copy setting, but any of the point 
and shoot models should have a similar function. I also can take pictures of 
microfilm images. My library has the microfilm viewers with the white board 
surface tilted at a slight angle and the manual hand crank on the right. I take 
pictures of images of interest to view later when I return home. Usually it 
takes two or three shots of the same screen due to the focus issues of what 
is on the white board. It works and I have transcribed several old records than 
span many pages while sitting in front of my computer at home. The ability to 
zoom in and take as long as you need to decipher that old handwriting is 
invaluable. Just remember when copying a book page to first copy the title 
page for your citation and always check the image to be sure it is in focus. 

This method is a win-win deal for the library as well. No need for patrons to 
open an old one of a kind book to more than 90 degrees to copy it, no flash of 
light from a copy machine, no need to worry about maintaining so many copy 
machines and those expensive supplies (toner, paper, service calls), and if 
anyone really does care about saving trees…well. Any librarian should love a 
patron that chooses to use a digital camera over the copy machine; now they 
can focus on more useful tasks rather than dealing with copy machine 
availability issues.  I’m thinking about teaching a class at my local library to 
help patrons to move into the digital image mode, and no I do not work at a 
library. 

Regards,
Don Trent in Texas

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