Photocopiers

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We are interested in photocopiers which are able to copy rare books,
manuscripts and other bound materials without having to open them
flat.

We currently have an old "Archivist" which is on its last leg.  This
model of copier allows one to set a book on a cradle, open the book
to 90 to 110 degrees and bring it up to a wedge where the left side
is made of glass and the page placed against it is copied.

These copiers were commissioned and designed expressly for the
British Library and were then made available to other libraries.
They do not seem to have been a financial success since only 15 were
sold and the company no longer exists.

What are libraries and archives using for rare books and other items
that cannot be laid flat on the glass plate of most photocopiers?
Are there any `face up with cradle' copiers sold nowadays?  What
other technologies such as scanners or digitizers with or without
pc's are being used?

Patrick Ravines
Baha'i World Centre
Conservation Office
Haifa, Israel

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:58
                 Distributed: Sunday, February 4, 1996
                        Message Id: cdl-9-58-013
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