Blog
Hard Head, Soft Heart: The Legacy of Chris Crowley
With heavy hearts, we said our final goodbyes this past Friday to the longtime president and co-owner of our company. It became quickly evident over the course of the week between his passing and his funeral, that Christopher William Crowley had made a worldwide impact in the industry he loved. Close to home, with the people he loved even more (and who loved him back), the impact was exponentially larger. There were no shortage of stories. Some were business. Some…
The Gift of Digitization
With Thanksgiving under my belt (in more ways than one), I’m jumping into the holiday season with two feet. For myself and others across the globe, the next few weeks will be spent combing through aisles of products and relentlessly searching online for the perfect holiday gifts. During my exhaustive search for presents that are both practical and meaningful, I was reminded of a few Crowley clients that gave the thoughtful and useful gift of digitization in the forms of…
Happy (T)Hanksgiving, Part Six
Aw, just look at our sweet Hank. In November 2013, Cassie Hahn, an 11-year veteran of the Crowley administrative team, brought in her roly-poly English bulldog pup with more wrinkles than a linen suit on a hot day. The short little legs of this irresistible bundle of fur could barely support his king-sized head and the Maryland office immediately fell in love. Hank inspired our very first “Hanksgiving” post and for the sixth year, the tradition continues. Like Hank, Crowley…
Celebrating American Archives
October is officially American Archives month and we’ve been so busy with the day-to-day of digitizing collections, pairing scanners to end-users and attending trade shows that we find the month quickly escaping. So we’re going to stop, take a breath and celebrate just a few of the American archives and their owners and industries that we’ve had the pleasure to work with over the past twelve months. From a First Lady (Typefaces, Animal Rights and the “It” Girl) to Pro…
Forever Young: Preserving Oak Hill Cemetery Lot and Stereoscopic Cards through Digitization
Cemeteries have so much more to offer than just an eternal resting place. They provide insight into history, reveal family ties long forgotten, remind us of the importance of “the dash” and inspire future stories. The purpose of a cemetery begins long before death and continues long after. Within the iron gates of Oak Hill Cemetery (OHC) in the nation’s capital, this purpose is being furthered with the digitization of 170 years of history documented on paper, on cards, in…
Endless Love: Digitizing the Herbst Love Letters
A Tale of Preservation and Family in Honor of National Grandparent’s Day. The letters of Gene and Margaret (Maggie) Herbst have traveled far and wide in the name of love. Through 250 handwritten letters, the couple shared tales of their adolescence, war, happiness and longing. In more recent years, the letters have helped their grandson Eric form a relationship with the grandfather he never met. In celebration of National Grandparent’s Day, The Crowley Company is sharing the story of the cherished…
Celebrating Chip Clark: Digitizing Natural History’s Famed Photographer
Today would have been Chip Clark’s 71st birthday. Born on August 20, 1947, his name will bring a smile to, or ring a bell with, anyone in the world of museum photography. For 37 years, Clark served as a photographer at The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). No matter which world you orbit, the chances are more than good that you’ve seen at least one photo from his vast body of work. Recently, several employees of The…
Digital Touchdown! Digitizing the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Microform Archive
This week marks the beginning of the National Football League’s 99th season. With preseason kicking off Thursday night in Canton, OH and the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame (HOF) Enshrinement Ceremony on Saturday, it’s just about the most wonderful time of year for football fans! To celebrate, we’re taking a look at a different kind of special team, The Crowley Company and the HOF, and the partnership that made the digitization of 1.1 million microfilm and microfiche football records a reality….
Celebrating Alastair
Wicks and Wilson Purchasing Manager Retires with 35 Years Alastair Fitzroy Blair has worked for Wicks and Wilson since January 31, 1983. This Friday, on July 27th, he will wrap up 35 years with one company and a total of 47 years in purchasing for industrial firms in the Basingstoke, UK area. His is a story of many which often goes untold; a quiet hero who does his job well, day in and day out, serving with loyalty, for the…
Digitized Court Records Increase Efficiency and Access
Court trials have long been a topic of public fascination in America starting with the first recorded murder trial on U.S. soil in 1800 and, more recently, in true crime documentaries like Making a Murderer and The Staircase (my most recent Netflix binge watch). While internally debating the guilt or innocence of Michael Peterson, it reminded me that digitized court records such as licenses, dockets, deeds, wills, laws, case dispositions, subpoenas and other information are crucial in accurately creating a usable record of history…