The international photographer (Jan-Dec 1935)

Ten The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER October, 1935 THE MINIATURE CAMERA IN RESEARCH AND PERMANENT RECORDS By Hansena Frederickson Dr. Louis K. Koontz, of the History Department of the University of California at Los Angeles, is making use of Leica negatives in his Historical Research. While in Washington last winter, he gathered a group of men together whose interest in the use of photography in the scholar's research field, in the filing of records, and in the spreading of unavailable documents throughout the country, has been constructive. These men are pioneering in the field, and their findings are interesting to all photographers, as this branch has a valuable, practical use which is destined to grow as its advantages are realized. The use of film files in the Library of Congress in Washington make their records easy to group, arrange, and alphabetize, and easily available to the widespread public previously denied the use of these records for reference work. As the use of this means of spreading valuable records increases, the scholar in small towns will have the resources of our great libraries at his disposal for a minimum cost. A joint committee on materials for research, with Robert Binkley as chairman, and T. R. Schellenberg as Executive Secretary, finds that "through the further introduction of copying cameras in great central depositories, and of equipment for reading the film copies in various libraries throughout the country, research materials could be made much more mobile. Research libraries on film could be built up at a cost as low as fifteen to twenty-five cents per hundred pages. Through micro up very little space, are cheap, and easily filed. The New York Times is experimenting with the advisability of using film as a mans of keeping a permanent record of its daily sheets. Various methods have been tried throughout the years, but the search for the most satisfactory method still goes on. They have found that their present systems occupy 108 cubic feet of space for a year's file of The Times, while the same record on film would occupy one-third of one cubic foot. In government records, very specialized research reports are filed and the cost of reproduction of these has been prohibitive. It was found in reproducing the hearing of the N. R. A. and the Agriculture Adjustment Administration reports, that one-half million pages of records are kept in Washington. In attempting to make these available to scholars who needed records, they found that the regular copies could be furnished to them for $10,000 a copy. There were no orders placed. Later, copies were made on film for $600, and many students availed themselves of these micro-films. Banks in various parts of the country are also beginning to use films in their records. They film cancelled checks with the Recordak, a subsidiary of Eastman, and keep these film records on file for immediate reference when any dispute arises. They are also using this method of preserving their ledger pages, and cutting time and cost in this manner. A bank pays $5.00 for 200 feet of Recordak safety film, which is enough to pho A page from a transcript in the Library of Congress, the original of which is in the British Public Record office. This copy was made by Dr. Louis K. Koontz, professor of History at the University of California at Los Angeles. Leica picture taken at f3:5'/!2 second exposure with light from one window. copying, gaps in library holdings could be filled, manuscript collections made complete, newspaper files supplemented, ephemeral material preserved, and the needs of the individual scholar for specialized research met." The very practical use of this method of making records available to the public is experienced at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. This museum has a group of priceless Shakespearian manuscript, to study which men have previously been sent over here from England at great expense and loss of time. Leica-copied films are now sent to them at about $5.00 for one hundred pages, and with little more lapsed time than is necessary for an exchange of letters. In the University of Arizona at Tucson, an account of every student's record is kept on file in film form; his semester's grades are recorded with a photograph of himself. These records take tograph 16,000 checks or to make dual records of 4,000 statements. Dr. Koontz spent last winter in Washington, London, and Paris searching for all available documents pertaining to Robert Dinwiddie, concerning whose life and influence on George Washington he is writing a book. In order to retain a word for word record of his findings he brought 500 film pictures home with him and more are continually being sent to him on this subject. His interest in the use of film for spreading valuable research material is very practical, and he is spending much time in interesting his colleagues in this field. He has found that the Leica, Con tax, Eka, Recordak and Folmer-Graflex are applicable to this work. Dr. Koontz does his own work with a Leica and a No. 3 front lens attachment, which he finds to be easily handled. Please mention The International Photographer when corresponding with advertisers.