Blog

Archiving Washington: The People’s Archive Creates Accessible D.C. History

Timing is a funny thing. After learning about the journey of The People’s Archive (originally known as the Special Collections department of the DC Public Library) and their mission to create more efficient digitization, timing seems to look less funny and more like fate (or really good planning). Over the past few years, the DC Public Library’s archive staff has laid significant groundwork for advancing their digitization and customer service. Essential elements of this plan came together just in time…

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Colleen’s Crew(boat):
A Crowley Christmas Story

December 2021 Update: Colleen’s Crew(boat) is back in the water and sporting a few updates thanks to the dedicated volunteer team mentioned below. You can see it “live” on YouTube (but if you’re anywhere near Frederick, we recommend a personal visit. We guarantee you’ll leave with a smile!). This is not your typical Crowley blog post. The topic is not digitization, although there is just one degree of separation between the story you are about to read and The Crowley…

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Digitizing Scientific Research at The Rockefeller Archive Center

If there is anything that life and Christopher Nolan movies has taught me, it is that there are no absolute heroes; even the most exemplar person has faults and the gruffest of characters can have compassion. Case in point: John D. Rockefeller, Senior (Rockefeller, Sr.). Living his living life between the worlds of shrewd oil tycoon and diligent philanthropist, Rockefeller used much of his fortune financing scientific research that sought to eradicate specific social and physical diseases, some of which…

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New Digitisation Scanner, a First in Africa

The University of Cape Town’s Digital Library Services Adds 100MP Zeutschel ScanStudio to Offerings The following blog, authored by Carmen Louw and featuring the Zeutschel ScanStudio, has been reposted with permission from Niklas Zimmer of  the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. The ScanStudio sale was spearheaded by longtime Crowley and Zeutschel partner, First Coast Technologies. Friday the 13th is usually heralded as the start of something ominous, but for Digital Library Services (DLS) it was the start of…

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Quantum Software Allows Historic New York Microfilm Newspaper Scanning Project to Continue Amid Pandemic

When time is seemingly standing still (quarantine blues, anyone?) yet moving so fast (how is it August already?!), there is not much else to do but start a project you know might take a while. In attempting to run out the quarantine clock, I printed and intended to organize three years of photos from my phone. Instead, sitting with hard copy evidence of a life lived closer than six feet apart only deepened the shade of my blues and proved…

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How to Clean Your Book Scanner

Welcome back! As the world slowly returns to its new normal, your questions to our tech team have let us know that many of you are delving back into your digitization efforts. We’ve been happy to hear from you and hope that your return to the office is marked with good health. We’re also pleased to report that the Crowley team is once again fully staffed and working safely from our various locations in Maryland, California and the United Kingdom….

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U.K. Service Bureau Has
20-Year-Success with
Wicks and Wilson Scanners

Last week – in a peak moment of quarantine boredom – I participated in a random online survey of English fashion brands. Although I was unfamiliar with most of the brands, one question prompted a strong opinion: “Are you more likely to purchase a brand with British heritage?” My answer? Yes; in fashion and beyond! Apart from a personal love for Maltesers and Aston Martin cars, this sense of trust in British-made products is also a result of my direct…

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Who Runs the World? Junior League of Washington Preserves 107 Years of Women’s History

Care Through Action, Junior League of Washington Preserves Women’s History I’ve been stealing my older sister’s belongings since birth. From clothes to shoes, ideas to dance moves, I “borrowed” everything from my forgiving (and often oblivious) sibling. Little did I know that a mindless pilfering of a book titled “Extraordinary Women in History” in my early years would introduce me to Eleanor Roosevelt, my lifelong idol. Eleanor’s passion to better the lives of Americans both as a First Lady and…

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Business as Usual in an Unusual World

Whether you’re on the “abundance of caution” or the “this is crazy town” ends of the spectrum, the fact is that for the immediate future the COVID-19 virus infection has interrupted and changed every facet of our lives. We are alternately soothed or assaulted by the wealth – or dearth – of information and its many sources. At Crowley, our plan is to put one foot in front of the other as it is safe to do so. We know…

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Cheers to 40 Years!

On Saturday, February 1st, The Crowley Company (Crowley) marked its 40th anniversary since incorporation. I think our founder, Jerry Crowley, would be quite proud – and perhaps a little surprised – at how the company has evolved over the decades. From a one-man basement operation in Maryland to a 100+-team, three-location international company, the staff and geography are just two indications of the changes we’ve seen over the years. In many respects, technology has advanced over these 40 years in ways only imagined…

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