Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Rochester Public Library Embarks Upon Major Local History Digitizing Project

The Rochester Regional Library Council reported the following in its January/February 2005 newsletter. (Reprinted with permission)

Substantial gifts to Rundel Library Foundation from the Gleason Foundation, the estate of Josephine Tait, and other individuals will allow Rochester Public Library (RPL) to digitize over 1.5 million pages of its Local History Division’s bound material. The purchase of a Kirtas Technologies APT BookScan 1200™ system will not only make this effort possible, but will also earn RPL the distinction of being the first public library location for this revolutionary book digitizing technology. The acquisition of this system, which will be delivered in February, 2005, is part of a three-year, $500,000 digitization project recently launched by the Library.

“We see it as a win-win situation,” explained Carol Nersinger, Director of Rochester Public Library. “Our purchase allows us to support a local company and expand our leadership role in the use of digital technology to preserve and make accessible these important resources for both historians and genealogists around the world.”

“We are very excited to have a local partner in the Rochester Public Library System. Their vision around digitization of critical library resources is a strong statement that our technology is attractive and cost-effective for libraries of all sizes,” says Lotfi Belkhir, CEO of Kirtas Technologies.

No comments: