Posts Tagged ‘Mekel’
Honoring A Legacy: Celebrating 50 Years of Mekel Technology
You might expect a company in the business of preservation to have an extensive archive of its own history. Surprisingly, that’s not always the case. As Mekel Technology, a Crowley Company, (also known as Mekel Engineering until 1999) celebrates its 50th anniversary, we find ourselves reflecting on a remarkable journey that began with a small team of visionaries and on the importance of preserving the history that brought us together. From its modest beginnings in a garage to becoming leaders…
From Gunsight Cameras to Microfilm Scanners to Whatever’s Next: Mekel Technology plays on for nearly 50 years
You’re channel surfing and a movie catches your attention. You’ve missed the beginning but you pick up enough to be thoroughly engaged and end up watching the whole thing. Ever happen? That’s a good analogy for my journey with Mekel Technology (Mekel). I’ve worked at The Crowley Company for over a decade and know a fair amount about our Mekel product line, but I missed the beginning. With the advent of Mekel 2.0, the latest iteration of Mekel Technology scanner…
Digitizing The Reporter: Archives of Akron’s Only African American Newspaper Online
Each February, Crowley highlights a digitization project that has bearing on Black History Month. Today we feature the newspaper digitization of The Reporter, which has been documenting the African American community in Akron, Ohio since 1969. Past posts discuss an 1841 edition of the Morning Star, a Freewill Baptist publication that advocated for abolition, the digitized records of The Central Lunatic Asylum for Colored Insane and the research of tax assessment and slave records of Cecil County, Maryland. Each project, including…
It’s Been Quite A Week: Scanners, Trade Shows, Giveaways, Authors and Features
This has been one of those weeks where Monday felt like Thursday and today feels like…well…next week. It’s been a whirlwind. May I share what we’ve been up to so that you can enjoy the journey with us? Along the way you’ll find some terrific purchasing opportunities and a great read. Scanners UScan+ Universal Film Scanner Line Updated The popular UScan+ line of microfilm reader printers, winner of a 2018 Modern Library Award, has been updated with new models and…
An MLA Christmas
The Crowley Company got an early Christmas present last week when it was announced that four of our scanners were awarded honors in the Modern Library Awards program sponsored by Library Works, Inc. This is especially gratifying because the scanners are judged by the librarians, archivists and other library professionals that actually use the products in their facilities. Two of the scan systems are multi-year winners and two are new to the competition. Platinum Honorees Platinum awards, the program’s highest…
Crowley Celebrates 35 Years
In 1980, the Dow Jones Industrial average was 963, the average U.S. income was $19,500 and a gallon of gas cost an average of $1.19. Quite a lot happened in the world that year, but in one little corner of Montgomery County, Maryland, Jerome F. (Jerry) Crowley took a risk, left his comfortable position as a micrographics equipment manufacturer’s rep and went out on his own. This month, J.F. Crowley Inc. is celebrating its 35th year since incorporation and is…
Scanner Comparisons Lead to Measurable ROI
Two weeks ago, I read an insightful blog post by ECM Connection executive editor Ken Congdon. The topic was how to manage end-of-life scanning hardware. It was written on the premise that as technology advances, older scanners – which are still productive but are no longer produced – may outlive their spare parts inventory and maintenance options. The article contained three main bits of advice: don’t roll the dice; plan for the inevitable; and consider leasing and outsourcing as a viable option….
Quantum Happiness
Last week we received the kind of email every business wants to receive: a glowing review, a good tip and an idea for further engagement – the trifecta of customer response. A State Archivist wrote: “After framing the first fiche…in QuantumProcess, I used “Progogate this page” and since they [the images] were all shot the same, it took very minor tweaking to get the rest perfect. These machines are more flexible than I ever imagined. Is there an official forum…
Throwback: 2003 Mekel Acquisition Transports Crowley Into Manufacturing
As anyone who’s ever taken an entry-level philosophy class can tell you, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Today we must agree to disagree with the great Aristotle. At The Crowley Company, we are greater because of our parts—Crowley has become a stronger, better-rounded organization thanks to the partnerships and acquisitions we’ve accumulated over our 30+ years in the imaging industry. Today we take the time to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of a major addition to…
The Crowley Company Year in Review
In a year that has seen very little, if any, breathing room, we’re making ourselves stop and smell the poinsettias and look back before we rush headlong into 2014. Take a look at what made our top 10 list this year (in no particular order as they each serve to make the whole): We’re blogging (obviously). We’ve always had some great stories to tell and this year we took the plunge and made the commitment to share news weekly. The…