[PRCo] Re: Generic Description and Scanning

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

From: Derrick Brashear <shadow at gmail.com>
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Sent: Mon, May 23, 2011 8:53:30 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Generic Description and Scanning

> As a retired educator, I appreciate the resources that are online for
> students, researchers and just the average person to repurpose. Just as open
> source is a group process, learning should also be. I spend my time working
> with organizations that are willing to share their resources. I see many
> value-added examples from sharing rather the hiding resources.

Google is no longer scanning old newspapers.
We're going back to the model where newspapers want
to sell from their archives. This may well be true,
but before Google scanned, it effectively didn't exist because
you couldn't find it. So, another means of furthering
knowledge bites it in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

-- 
Derrick
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Mr.Brashear,

'Almighty dollar'  isn't an issue is it.  Could we look from
another perspective?  When asked what is the root of all
evil the answer is often:  'money.'  This is dead wrong
isn't it.  Money is inert.  "The problem" is the attitude 
toward money.

I don't begrudge business making profits;  this is a 'part'
of what makes the country great.  On the other hand
businesses do rise and wane.  Is it time for newspapers to
fold or will they be successful on the inet?  No one anywhere
has this answer,  just opinion.

Apply that to PTM scans of photos and documents.  The
'originals' were done for personal reasons, most without a
profit motive.  Some were offered for sale to recover costs
while hoping for profits to fund future 'originals.'  Deeding
these items to PTM then allows the museum to sell copies
to fund restoration.  Not a 'profit' item at this point, just a
funding item.  Yet money exchange is involved.  I do not have
a problem with this.

Before computers little was offered by museums in the way
of slides and prints because of the amount of work to
produce the same.  Postcards were 'somewhat' popular
because they were 'printed in quantity' as opposed to
processing of negatives for individual prints which is
very time consuming.

The digital world offers relief from the above since only one
scan is needed to produce a multitude of prints.  Low resolution
scans for the internet significantly lowers the risk of 'illegal'
use, even without watermark.  The university water mark is in
the edge of the photo;  this is better than across the subject.
True;  it allows for cropping, but where is the benefit for low
resolution scans?

I doubt it is a matter of 'if' but a matter of 'when.'  Digital prints
or trolleys on the inet command some good prices.

 

Phil