By C.J. Eno
Earlier this year, the
Clarke Historical Library was blessed with a new addition to our happy family. While
the stork took a little longer than expected (supply chains and such), our
newest teammate arrived safe and sound, albeit in some rather large shipping
crates. After some diligent prep by Clarke staff, a little expert help from CMU
Facilities, as well as the assistance of a cheerful installer/trainer from the
vendor (it really does take a village), our little guy was ready to hit the
ground running.
So, without further ado, please join the Clarke in welcoming our newest: the Phase One camera system (camera head and motorized column, oversize table and LED lighting).
What a bundle of joy.
Why
is the Clarke so excited about a new camera? So happy you asked. For starters, the
previous camera no longer worked. The former occupant of this camera room was a
completely analog microfilm camera, severely outdated, and no longer repairable.
While the Clarke is able to continue providing clients with analog preservation
microfilming services with its remaining camera, a replacement was sorely
needed.
Our
new, fully digital camera is equipped with a 100-megapixel sensor, which allows
it to capture images at high resolution and unparalleled clarity. It was
designed with cultural heritage projects in mind and offers new imaging options
for the Clarke.
The
new camera can handle large format materials such as maps and newspapers
especially well and can capture oversize documents without compromising any of
the essential detail. Additionally, with its specialization in cultural
heritage projects, the camera system comes with a clever book cradle that can
safely hold in place delicate bound materials for filming. Anyone that has worked
with old, delicate/decrepit bound materials knows the feeling of dread as the
object slowly falls apart with each subtle jostle. The book cradle, as well as
the large surface, helps to mitigate some of these unfortunate hazards of
historic preservation.
Now
don’t think this is all about high resolution and document safety; the camera
also streamlines our digitizing operations. Working with analog cameras can be
slow and tedious for large projects, especially when the number of documents
involved is in the hundreds or thousands, as is frequently the case here at the
Clarke. The rapid capture photography of the camera provides quick, digitized
images ready for post-processing. Considering that the camera is made with
aerial-grade aluminum and designed with a minimum of moving parts, that tenure
should be a long and happy one.
While the Clarke’s digitizing department has
traditionally worked primarily with Michigan newspapers, expanding our
largescale digitizing projects into other formats has previously been less than
practical. This was unfortunate, as the full scope of the Clarke’s collections goes
well beyond Michigan newspapers and covers a wide array of media and formats.
With the addition of our new camera, a significant portion of these works can
be digitized, not only for the sake of posterity, but for much broader accessibility
to those that wish to view these irreplaceable works.