Blog
Celebrate and Appreciate
It seems fitting for our last post of 2016 to feature just a few of the many employees that make the Crowley world go ‘round. Each year at the corporate holiday celebration, those with significant anniversaries for the year are recognized (“significant” is defined as a five year span). Although not all are present because of geography, each is mentioned by name and for their contribution to the company. Below, please meet our 2016 anniversary notables and join us in…
Beauty is in the Eye of the Camera: Crowley Advances Imaging Services
What makes a “good” image? It is a universally acknowledged truth in our modern culture that good images are not blurry, have some sort of composition and do not have a finger in the shot (a fact never mentioned to my grandmother). While the subject matter and composition of a good image are often up for debate, the technical specifications are not, especially in regard to archival imaging services. Technical guidelines such as the Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative (FADGI)…
Happy Hanksgiving, Part Four
What a difference four years makes! When we first followed Hank, the beloved English bulldog of Crowley’s technical support administrator, Cassie Hahn, around the halls of Crowley three years ago he was a small ball of pudge waddling past adoring employees and modeling atop patron book scanners. Since then, Hank and Crowley have come together each “Hanksgiving” to reflect on the many things for which we at Crowley are thankful (and this year we’ve added Hank’s thanks as well). We…
Dear Mother: A Look at WWII Through the Eyes of One Family
Many stories of heroism and national pride are brought back from war. More often than not, the airwaves are filled with the loudest stories: soldiers bravely flying the skies, nurses fighting the needs of their own bodies to save others and great minds working to break enemy codes. The quieter stories of everyday life during wartime are often overlooked, but are just as heroic. Such is the case with the Minker family of Wilmington, Delaware. Their story is one told…
Life in the Fast (Scanning) Lane: Digitizing History Rapidly with the UScan+
If there is one thing you can say about Kenneth Shelton, it is that he is passionate about history . . . specifically, the history of his family’s hometown in South Carolina. This was remarkably clear to me when I first read about the volunteer scanning work Ken has been doing for the Fairfield County South Carolina Museum and Historical Society. We’re celebrating American Archives Month by sharing the story of Ken’s digitization efforts and dedication to preserving the past….
Old Media in a New Age: Newspapers Go Digital in Latest Case Study
Newspapers have great significance in modern societies around the world. Their thin pages have distributed our world’s heaviest news – the sinking of the Titanic, Kennedy’s assassination, September 11th – and have also followed slightly lighter stories such as the discovery of Big Foot (originally reported in 1858 as “wild people”). Either way, newspapers have been and will continue to be a gateway into today and a crucial key to the past. From the humble origins of handwritten newsletters distributed…
Staying Power: A Conversation with The Crowley’s
The following blog post is an article published last month in IDMi Magazine. When one considers the changes in technology in the analog and digital imaging industries over the past four decades, it seems nearly impossible that a small firm has been able to survive – and thrive – while remaining an independent entity in a very narrow, niche market. Yet for 36 years, The Crowley Company has been a staple in the worlds of archival preservation, digitization and records…
The Cold War in Hotlanta: Crowley and Princeton Discuss Digitization Project at SAA
Last week I traveled to the Society of American Archivists annual conference in Atlanta, Ga to hear Crowley Senior Imaging Specialist, Meghan Wyatt, and Princeton University Library Archivist, Rachel Van Unen, discuss the digitization of Seeley G. Mudd Library’s Cold War manuscripts. In the coming weeks you will be able to hear the discussion for yourself in Crowley’s first podcast. For now, get a taste of the project and the partnership between Crowley Imaging and Princeton University Libraries. Project Origins In…
Scanner Replacements: When Is The Time?
With many items, it’s easy to tell when it’s time to upgrade. Car, dryer, hot water heater…each has its own death knell “clunk” that results in a cash register “ching.” Other items, particularly those steeped in technology – phone, computer, cable services – lead to a war of want vs. need. Do we want the latest or do we need the latest? This same dilemma faces owners of front end capture systems that may still be serviceable, but which are…
Determining the Best Method for Scanning Bound Materials
We’ve addressed the issue of book scanning methods in a previous blog, however the information bears repeating. Books are still one of the world’s most popular methods of information recording, but paper (or even in its earliest forms, papyrus or rice paper) is not the most resilient of materials. It is for this reason that digitization is essential to extending the lifespan of the precious words and images held within their covers. The options for scanning bound materials are numerous…