Crowley Celebrates National Library Week: Showcasing zeta Book Copiers

In case you hadn’t heard (and you aren’t already off celebrating with a good book from your local library), it’s National Library Week!  April 12^th-18^th is designated as a time to recognize the importance of libraries and the role they play as vehicles of knowledge, archives of history, a valuable part of the community and so much more. Much of what we do at Crowley is aimed at supporting libraries in their goal of providing wider access to information. Through Crowley’s digitization services and scanning equipment, libraries are making material more accessible for patrons and researchers alike.

Digitization and Preservation Services

Crowley Imaging provides digital and analog scanning services to libraries across the U.S. wanting to preserve and protect their material or to digitize and share it with those who may not otherwise have access. The stories of these conversion projects are featured in many of our blog posts and client case studies.

Patron Book Copier and Scanner

In recent years, the Zeutschel zeta book copy and scan system has played a large role in bridging the technology gap between the printed word and the electronic systems we work on today. allows users to quickly scan, save and send images from bound books or loose-leaf documents – a much faster and simpler alternative to outdated copy machines. The zeta recently was honored with a gold award in the 2015 Modern Library Awards (MLAs).

Zealous zeta owners

Below are just a few libraries that have installed one or more zeta book copiers for patron use and are happy to show off their new technology.

• In a recent American Libraries Magazine feature, Nathan Stevens, assistant director of the Media and Education Technology Resource Center at North Carolina State University (NCSU) College of Education in Raleigh, says, “Our zeta scanner is open to the public. Patrons are primarily undergraduate and graduate students who are scanning from resource and textbooks, loose pages, and student-teacher portfolios.” He continues, “Students are done in one-tenth the time compared with the old technology. They can scan, save to a thumb drive, and walk away.”
• Garret-Evangelical Theological Seminary’s United Library installed a zeta scanner for free public use. According to the library’s website, “Some of the advantages of this machine as opposed to flatbed scanners are that it is open faced, so it better protects the binding on some of our more delicate items.The zeta also has embedded software that automatically corrects for the natural bend of the pages in thicker materials and will even scrub out your fingertips should they make their way into the scanning frame.”
• Texas A&M University’s Sterling C. Evans Library installed three zetas in separate locations around the library for students’ convenience. In a post from Ask Us Aggies, a blog written for/by Evans library staff and student workers, blog contributor Steven Hand notes that the zeta “looks like it came right out of Star Trek Next Generation” and goes on to describe his first encounter with the advanced ‘alien’ technology. His conclusion? “I intend to save my replicator rations so that I can get a zeta scanner for my quarters. SCAN. SCAN. SCAN. That is all.”
• Western Washington University installed a zeta in the library’s Student Technology Center “to provide scanning capabilities and ease of use not previously readily available to students and faculty.” Western Libraries’ website promotes their new zeta, stating, “The zeta’s intuitive and interactive touch screen interface allows anyone to produces great color, grey scale and black & white images in a variety of file types that can be uploaded to the campus network or taken away on a USB thumb drive.”

We couldn’t be happier that these and so many other library’s patrons are reaping the benefits of the zeta’s advanced digital technology with it’s quick, simple and oft-used scanning and copying functions. An added benefit: with the zeta’s easy-to-use software, library staff members are spending less time instructing and assisting patrons, leaving them more time and energy to focus on other areas of their work. It’s a win-win!

Learn more about the Zeutschel zeta and other Crowley scanners

For more information on the zeta book copy and scan system or any other scanning equipment, please visit our website or call (240) 215-0224. General inquiries can be emailed to blog@thecrowleycompany.com. Stay connected and follow The Crowley Company on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.

With a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Towson University, Camily Bishop serves as The Crowley Company’s sales and marketing assistant. A self-proclaimed member of the grammar police and avid reader of classical fiction, you can find her curled up with a good e-book or, on a nice day, experiencing the great outdoors – perhaps at the nearest wine festival.