Blog
Seeing Clearly: Shelley Receives AIA Vision Certification
We recently received the good news that electronics engineer Xander Shelley, who helps to turn the nuts, bolts and cameras of Crowley scanners into high-quality imaging machines at our Basingstoke (UK) manufacturing facility, became a Basic Level Certified Vision Professional. He is one of 363 individuals in the world who hold this certification, which is only offered through AIA – the global association for vision information. It is good for three years and must be maintained through ongoing education. Xander…
Microfilm Theology
Every once in a while life hands you an easy button. In this case, the button is one of the easiest blogs I’ve ever had to write. Last week, Crowley’s West Coast hardware representative, Ed Berkowitz, shared an article written by Ernie Smith, editor of Tedium. Titled “The Strange History of Microfilm, Which Will Be With Us for Centuries,” the writing is entertaining, educational and brings home the message we oft repeat here: microfilm lasts. Preach, Brother Smith! From Dancer…
Why I Love Libraries: An Ode to Books, Librarians and Everything In Between
In celebration of this week’s American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Orlando, I’ve decided to put together a countdown of my favorite things about libraries. Libraries aren’t just about free Wi-Fi access and the smell of old books (although those are things to love as well); libraries have a multitude of qualities that deserve praise and recognition, in my humble opinion. Through the vigorous efforts of librarians, community leaders and patrons, I’ve found that libraries have held their place…
Clarity Matters: UScan+ HD, A High Res Look at Image Quality
As a culture, we value high definition (HD) image resolution. An anthropological study has yet to be done on the societal importance of advanced image quality (I think) but the fact remains that HD is now a common feature in several industries worldwide. Products ranging from televisions to sunglasses are equipped with high-resolution options. Consumers demand information immediately and in outstanding quality. Call it another brick in the wall of our societies’ obsession with perfection but the higher the resolution, the…
Expanding Our Vision: The Crowley MACHCAM 71MP Hits the Road
What am I doing at the AIA Vision Show in Boston in a booth without a scanner? Short answer: I’m helping to launch Crowley’s brand new imaging and machine vision camera, the MACHCAM 71MP. Longer answer? I’m learning. A lot. This is a vertical with which we’ve had much in common, but always from the client side. Today, we’re vendors of – from what I have seen – one of the most exciting new products on the floor (well, in…
Out of the Shop and Into The Office
It was 2014 when I first walked through The Crowley Company’s doors. I had a feeling then that this place would become an important one for me, but I couldn’t have predicted the impact it would have on my understanding of myself and the world. As I leave the Technical Service Department to join the marketing team I look back on my initiation into the world of preservation and my subsequent evolution. I began as an intern in the marketing…
Reference Archives Have a New Search-and-Scan Solution
Crowley’s MACH7380 reference archive scanner was officially released to market this past December and has already found applications worldwide, including facets of finance (banking/insurance) and government/transportation (ie: motor vehicle administrations). “Reference archive” refers to the concept that the images are considered to be legally-recognized duplicates of originals that may no longer exist. Reference archives also provide copies of records to validate transactions and meet regulatory requirements. These duplicates usually reside on 16mm blipped (or image-marked) microfilm. A reference archive scanner,…
Medical Minutes Survive the Years with Digitization
Last October, in recognition of American Archives Month, Crowley Imaging collaborated with the Delaware Historical Society (DHS) to digitize “Minutes of the Medical Society of Delaware from May 12, 1789 to December 15, 1847.” Now 227 years old, this medical book was donated to DHS in 1888 by Dr. John P. Wales, a Delaware doctor who, according to DHS Chief Curator Dr. Constance Cooper, “practiced medicine in the Wilmington area for 60 years.” The son of a Senator, he was…
Cecil County Records Aid Research on Black History
February is the month dedicated to honoring the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history, chosen in part to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, an escaped Maryland slave and national leader of the abolitionist movement, and Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th President, under whose term slavery was formally abolished. On the heels of a preservation project on which Crowley Imaging and the Historical Society of Cecil County (Md.) (HSCC) collaborated, we spoke to historian and HSCC board member, Mike…
Scanners Save Lives
Slightly misleading headline, but 100 percent true: in this case, though, it’s not the hardware but the professionals who run them that made a difference. On Monday, February 1st, twenty three staff members from St. John Properties’ Westview Business Park in Frederick, MD – 12 of them from The Crowley Company – participated in a Red Cross Blood Drive coordinated by volunteer (and Crowley relative) Kathleen Crowley. “I’ve been volunteering with the Red Cross for about 30 years,” explains Crowley,…