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RE: (erielack) ELHS Archives.

http://photoswest.org:8080/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?resultsScreen+9612+1+10+0



Joshua
http://www.joshuakblay.com

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- -----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Yungkurth [mailto:raildata_@_comcast.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 5:57 PM
To: EL Mail List
Subject: Re: (erielack) ELHS Archives.

I work as a volunteer at the Colorado Railroad Museum and can truthfully say

you guys have no idea of how big a problem digitizing archives can be.  You 
really ought to visit a large Museum and talk to them.  Just setting up the 
file system is a large job...mostly because so many people inputting 
document don't catalog them with the proper names so them no one can find 
them.  Cataloging drawings, photos, negatives, etc. is pretty straight 
forward but do you really want to catalog every letter in boxes of 
correspondence? And I'm just talking about cataloging, let alone scanning 
for on line viewing. At the CRRM we get into arguements what should be saved

and what should be tossed out. Like is a blueprint of a piece of angle iron 
with two holes in it worth saving, even if it did come from a narrow gauge 
2-8-0?  Or how amny drawings of rail sections ar needed. Not to mention a 
trailer body full of waybills. Someone has to set down and make intelligent 
decisions before cataloging and preseving starts.

Also, if an "amateur" sets up the catalog system it almost always works out 
that no one else can figure out how the system works if there are software 
problems...this is not just PC experience time!  I speak from expereince 
after being on the board of two non-railroad museums plus working here at 
the very large Colo RR Museum.

We have a seven year old buillding built just for the purpose and a 
professional curator, along with about 20 library voluneers. The Museum has 
over 200 voulnteers and 10 full time employees, so there is a lot of 
expereince here, including battles between "we must save everything" and 
"only the good stuff" factions. And this includes  preservation and 
restoration of equipment.


Be happy to discuss this one on one with anyone off line. Might add that it 
costs the Denver Public Library $15 per photo to put them on their web site.

But this is with paid staff and they do "tweak" the picture for clarity, 
brightness, etc.

(BTW, you guys might want to check the 100,000 photos that can be viewed on 
line at www.denver.lib.co.us. and go to the phto catalog.  Just search by 
railroad or city and it is amazing what turns up! There are at least 40 
Lackawanna steam locos there from the Otto Perry collection including 
camelback 4-4-0s, etc. Not much Erie)

Might add the Museum curators are really skittish about committing to 
complete digitizing and scanning materials since they have been badly burned

by systems changing  from Microfiche, to Optical records, and not scanning. 
And there is much concern about how digitized records must be recopied at 
intervals to assure permanance.....ulike 100 year old negatives, etc.

Chuck Yungkurth\
Boulder CO




- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "toddsyr" <toddsyr_@_twcny.rr.com>
To: "EL Mail List" <erielack_@_lists.elhts.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 3:05 PM
Subject: Re: (erielack) ELHS Archives.


> Paul T wrote:
>
> " It still baffles me - WHY IS THERE NO DISCUSSION OF ARCHIVE 
> DIGITIZATION?
> What's the fear of this? That would really solve all the issues of
> "location, location, location." All the largest libraries in the nation 
> are
> undertaking complete digitization of their collections to allow anyone,
> anywhere access to this information. As the vast majority of the archives 
> is
> made up of "paper," this should be a pretty simple task (lengthy, but 
> simple
> in process)."
>
> I agree 100%. Digitization of the archives would offer access to the most
> individuals by far, especially if accessible thru the 'net. It would also
> offer the best long term preservation of the documents. Digital copies 
> don't
> mildew and can easily be replaced for whatever reason. If many chipped in
> their resources to lend a hand, it wouldn't be such a monumental task. I 
> for
> one have a scanner now that sits largely unused. I'd be more than happy to
> utilize it for saving important documents for the EL and it's 
> predecessors.
> I guess to do that, I'd first have to become an ELHS member. I've been
> considering that for over 6 months now. The only thing stopping me is what
> seems to be the in-house bickering and negativity that seems to revolve
> around the ELHS. I wish it weren't so. Someone recently stated that alot 
> of
> the folks on this list aren't ELHS members. Is that such a bad thing? 
> After
> all. I AM a member of the ELHTS and that's how I found out about this 
> list.
> Someday I do hope to join the ELHS, I just would like to see more positive
> things posted about it first. Here and elsewhere. I don't mind throwing a
> few bucks at a good cause here and there, but I HATE throwing money out 
> the
> window. I rather just buy more EL N scale stuff than do that! Just some
> tired thoughts from an overworked EL fan.
>
>                                        Todd K. Stearns
>
>
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