ANUSCRIPT CLAMSHELL BOXES ALL BOXES HAVE CARD HOLDERS CLAMSHELL DROP FRONT 17{ x n { x 3 } STOCK BOXES AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT Long-life protection for valuable documents, such as manuscripts, first editions, folios and flat-stored newspapers, archives and legal instruments. Easy to store . . . easy to open for frequent reference. These CLAMSHELL manuscript boxes were especially designed to serve libraries, museums, law offices and government agen- cies. All CLAMSHELL boxes are cloth cov- ered, triple-strength cloth hinged and lined with PERMALIFE paper, which has a life expectancy of 300 years. Unsurpassed dur- ability for preserving valuable documents. Boxes shown are our most popular mod- els. For many uses the style, with hinged lid for ready access from the top, is pre- ferred. Other models have a drop front, or drop side. Send for price quotation, stating size, model and quantity requirements. THESE BOXES ARE CLOTH COVERED, CLOTH HINGED AND LINED WITH PERMALIFE, THE 300 YEARS LIFE EXPECTANCY PAPER. UNSUR- PASSED FOR STORING VALUABLE DOCUMENTS POHLIG BROS. INC, 25TH & FRANKLIN STREETS RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23223 YEARS I I I U I I U I D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 100INMAN ST. CAMBRIDGE, MA. Mcrofilmcrefiche • READERS, READER PRINTERS, • MICROFORM PUBLISHING AND SUPPLIES -MICROFORM SYSTEMS • MICROFILMING TO SPECIFICATIONS • BOOK CATALOGS/CATALOG •MICROFORM ENLARGEMENTS CARDS WORK DONE IN YOUR PLANT OR OURS Call 864-2820FOR FAST, DEPENDABLE SERVICE D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 The American University Department of History In cooperation with the National Archives and Records Service, GSA Library of Congress and Maryland Hall of Records Announces three offerings during 1976-77 THE INSTITUTE: INTRODUCTION TO MODERN ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION National Archives Building Pennsylvania Avenue and 8th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. November 1-12, 1976 February 28-March 11,1977 June 6-17,1977 For details and application forms, write Department of History The American University Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenues, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016 N The American University provides equal opportunity for all qualified persons in its educational programs and activities. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national and ethnic origin, age or sex. The policy of equal opportunity applies to every aspect of the University's operations and activities generally and that indeed extends to admissions and to employment. D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 74 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1977 material like still and motion pictures or machine-readable records; and on prob- lems characteristic of particular types of archival repositories, such as church or col- lege and university archives. Such institutes or seminars are essential for the contin- uing education required by the professional archivist. Should the certification-by- examination program of our records management colleagues also prove successful, elements of that program could very well be incorporated into the Society's pro- gram. In conclusion, we are very much indebted to historians and librarians for the as- sistance they have given and continue to give us in the development of our profes- sion. In the critical matter of training, however, we owe it to ourselves, as well as to all of our users, to make a serious effort to have archivists train archivists in a realis- tic program intended to meet the needs of those without adequate training who are already in archival positions. The American Archivist The American Archivist: Index to Volumes 1-20 (1938-57) Index to Volumes 21-30 (1958-67) Mary Jane Dowd, Compiler $ 6 members $10 others $ 6 members $10 others The American Archivist (1938-1974) $20 roll, $175 set members 35mm. microfilm, 10 rolls $25 roll, $225 set others Add $ 1 postage and handling charge on orders under $10 not prepaid. SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS The Library University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Box 8198, Chicago, Illinois 60680 D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 Professional Reading PAUL V. G U I T E , Compiler T H E FOLLOWING LIST OF ARTICLES of current interest to archivists and manuscript curators has been compiled from recent archival and library periodicals received by the National Archives Library. T h e listing is selective and is not intended to sup- plant the more complete annual bibliographies published in the American Archi- vist. It is meant to provide the reader with more immediate access to current profes- sional literature. Association of College and Research Libraries. "Statement on Access to Original Research Materials in Libraries, Archives, and Manuscript Repositories: Proposed Revisions." Col- lege to Research Libraries News 37 (April 1976): 99-101. . "Statement on the Reproduction of Manuscripts and Archives for Noncommercial Purposes: Proposed Revisions." College to Research Libraries News 37 (April 1976): 102- 104. Bein, Alex. "The Publication of Historical Documents." Offprint from Yad Lahore 14 (Jan. 1975); 15 (Oct. 1975): 24 pp. Bellamy, V. Nelle. "Minimum Standards for Church Archives." Georgia Archive 4 (Summer 1976): 132-40. Bennett, James C. "Education for Records Management in the Two-Year Community Col- lege." Records Management Quarterly 10 (Jan-. 1976): 21-23. Berkeley, Edmund, Jr. "Archivists and Thieves." Manuscripts 28 (Summer 1976): 205-208. Brock, Kenneth L. "New York State's Public Records." National Genealogical Society Quar- terly 64 (June 1976): 112-24. Burke, J. L. and C. M. Shergold. "What are Archives." Archives and Manuscripts 6 (Feb. 1976): 235-40. Butler, Lindley S. "Mass Education in Archival Resources: A Case Study." Georgia Archive 4 (Summer 1976): 119-23. Donovan, Lynn Bonfield and Linda Chiswick, comp., "Day-by-Day Records: Diaries from the CHS Library." California Historical Quarterly 54 (Winter 1975): 359-72. Engle, Ralph L., Jr. "Health Records, the New Technology, and the Law." American Society for Information Science, Bulletin 1 (May 1975): 29. Eustis, Truman W. "Get it in Writing: Oral History and the Law." Oral History Review (1976): 6-18. Hale, Richard W., Jr. and James M. O'Toole. "Archives and the Flow of Records: Massachu- setts as a Case Study." Georgia Archive 4 (Summer 1976): 141-46. Hall, Jacquelyn Dowd. "Documenting Diversity: The Southern Experience." Oral History Review (1976): 19-28. Hewitt, Joe A. "The Impact of OCLC." American Libraries 7 (May 1976): 268-75. Holroyd, Michael. "The Wrongs of Copyright." Library Journal 101 (May 1, 1976): 1081- 1083. The compiler is a librarian on the staff of the National Archives and Records Service. The American Archivist Vol. 40, No. 1 January 1977 99 D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 100 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1977 Hopler, Frederick B., Jr. "Micrographics—Processing, Storage and Protection." Records Management Quarterly 10 (April 1976): 34-36. Horn, David E. "To Survey or not to Survey?" Georgia Archive 4 (Summer 1976): 147-49. Jenkins, O. Crawford. "Vital Records Protection—A Case Study." Records Management Quarterly 10 (Jan. 1976): 24-25, 34. Lando, Robert H. "There Ought to be a Law." Records Management Quarterly 10 (April 1976): 5-8, 19. Lee, Col. Leonards. "Background to the Paper Mode Personnel Record System." Journal of Micrographics 10 (Sept. 1976): 23-30. "Legal Validity of Microfilms: Some Recommendations." Unesco Bulletin for Libraries 30 (March-April 1976): 71-77. Malone, Donald M., Esq. "Copyright Law." American Society for Information Science, Bul- letin 1 (May 1975): 25-26. Mansbach, Alfred F. "To File, Retain or Roundfile." Records Management Quarterly 10 (April 1976): 20-21, 26. Meadow, Charles T. "More About Criminal Records." American Society for Information Science, Bulletin 1 (May 1975): 27-28. "Microforms for Libraries." Microforms 1 (Sept. 1976): 1-2. Montgomery, Austin H., Jr. "Speeding Indexing of Genealogical Data by Computer." National Genealogical Society Quarterly 64 (March 1976): 35-44. Orlovich, Peter. "Some Basic Assumptions Underlying the Education and Training of Archivists." Archives and Manuscripts 6 (Feb. 1976): 204-225. Osburn, William D. "International Records Management." Records Management Quarterly 10 (April 1976): 48-50. Plotnik, Art. "OCLC for You—and Me?" American Libraries 7 (May 1976): 258-67. Pomrenze, Seymour J. "The Freedom of Information and the Privacy Acts and the Records Manager—Selected Considerations." Records Management Quarterly 10 (July 1976): 5-9. Ratner, Jane Faux. "Local History Collections: The Practical Problems." Library Journal 101 (Nov. 1, 1976): 2231-35. Redmond, Robert M. "Considerations in a Copying Study." Records Management Quarterly 10 (Jan. 1976): 16-17. Russell, E. W. "Archival Ethics." Archives and Manuscripts 6 (Feb. 1976): 226-34. Saffady, William. "Evaluating Coin-Operated Copying Equipment for Library Applica- tions." Library Resources & Technical Services 20 (Spring 1976): 115-22. Schinkel, Peter E. "Archival and Manuscript Holdings in Georgia Outside Atlanta: a Preli- minary Survey." Georgia Archive 4 (Summer 1976): 105-18. Stewart, Jerry M. "Records Management in Government." Records Management Quarterly (July 1976): 37-39. Vander Noot, Theodore J. "Libraries, Records Management, Data Processing—An Informa- tion Handling Field." Records Management Quarterly 10 (Jan. 1976): 9-14. Wagner, Lynda M., Monroe M. King, and Vincent J. Bosak. "Records Management in Gov- ernment." Records Management Quarterly 10 (April 1976): 37-39, 53. Weimar, Norman J. "Vital Records in a Records Management Program—LEC." Records Management Quarterly 10 (April 1976): 22-26. Yoho, Charles H. and Thomas W. Riley. "Fire Protection of Records—by the Use of High Expansion Foam." Records Management Quarterly 10 (April 1976): 16-19. D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 Technical Notes CLARK W. NELSON, Editor Archival Color Separation Negatives. As greater interest is shown in the preservation of color images, processing laboratories are responding by providing the necessary technical services to insure the maximum life of these materials. Berkey K+L Custom Services, Inc., 222 East 44th St., New York, N. Y. 10017, is one of the leading eastern photof inishing laboratories providing these services. It does reg- ular color work for some of the world's leading photographers. Berkey will make the highest quality archival separation negatives, contact size from color sheet film or enlarged separations from color roll film. These black and white separation films can later be used to produce dye transfer color prints that closely approximate the color found in the photographer's original work. Black and white film is used because it contains no dyes with the tendency to degrade and shift in color over long periods of time. The process involves the preparation of three black and white negatives of each color view. Each of these separations, as they are called, is filmed through a differ- ent color filter which separates the original color image into three black and white images whose tonal values correspond to the intensity of the primary colors found in the original color transparency. When color prints are desired, the black and white separations are each individually printed through the proper color filter onto a special transfer material that can be dyed the corresponding primary color. These dyed images are then transferred to a special paper base one after another in exact registration so that the three colors together form the original color view. It is a demanding process but one which offers great fidelity and beauty in its color rendition. The process has similarities to the production of color illustrations in magazines and books. As part of their service, Berkey offers a black and white contact print for record purposes. This will be returned along with the original color to the customer. Ber- key will then file the separation negatives in their vault for later printing. The price of $40 for each original is costly, but Berkey has helped minimize that cost by agree- ing to apply this fee to the production costs for a complete dye transfer print whenever it is ordered. You are, in effect, prepaying a portion of the later printing expense along with receiving free storage for the separation negatives. If an archives wishes to keep the separations themselves, an additional $10 is added to the base charge. For special color photographs of high artistic value or great research value, this service offers one of the best ways to preserve them. It is hoped that more and more institutions will analyze their holdings and select some of their rare gems for such treatment before any additional deterioration happens to them. Error in Paper pH Determinations. During the early part of 1976, the National Bureau of Standards released "A Source of Error in Paper Extract pH Determina- Readers are encouraged to send contributions to this department and should address them to Clark W. Nelson, Archivist, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55901. The American Archivist Vol. 40, No. 1 January 1977. 101 D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 102 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1977 tions: Contact Between Paper and Reference Electrodes." The 17-page report was prepared for the National Archives by Edwin J. Parks and R. L. Hebert of the National Bureau of Standards. It is part of the continuing investigations being sponsored by NARS in its quest for better understanding of the problems of paper deterioration. The report's abstract summarizes the study as follows: If the reference electrode of a pH meter is permitted to contact paper suspended in an aqueous medium, the pH observed is lower than that observed with no contact. The effect has been observed with papers of widely different pH, and varies in magnitude with the proximity of contact and with different papers. The problem can be avoided by taking measurements on decanted equilibrium solutions instead of suspensions of paper. The cause of this effect may be analogous to the suspension effect in colloidal systems. Those desiring copies of the complete paper may contact the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, Virginia 22151, requesting publication NBSIR 75-915. The price is $3.50. Forgery-proof ID Cards. In Britain, Inland Revenue is issuing some uniquely produced ID cards. The new cards are designed to identify people doing sub- contract work in the British construction industry. Persons without such identification are subject to having a 35 percent tax taken out of their pay at source. The cards are an attempt to eliminate tax evasion in an industry that employs one and three-quarter million people. The new style cards are considered to be virtually fraudproof. They are made of plastic and contain a full-face image of their holders. Each applicant supplies two full-face photos—one for the records and one for an electronic etching machine. The photo is scanned by this machine in much the same way that a TV camera changes what it sees into electronic impulses. These impulses in turn control a cut- ting stylus. The stylus cuts down through the black and white plastic sandwich making up the ID card and literally carves out a monochrome picture 18mm. x 22mm. in size. The process works in much the same way as electronic photo- engraving. The halftone images are produced by variable line thicknesses. By using such an engraving technique, any attempt to alter the original becomes imme- diately apparent. Pictures on Tape. At a recent hi-fi seminar in Osaka, Japan, the Matsushita Com- pany demonstrated cassette tapes that will carry up to 1,000 color pictures as well as the normal stereo audio track. A specially designed machine is used to play back the color photos. It is only slighdy larger than a conventional cassette player. Matsu- shita feels that if it can keep die cost of the player reasonable, it will be a serious chal- lenge to existing slide-tape methods of audiovisual presentations. In conventional audio cassette tapes there are two stereo pairs, each consisting of two separate recording tracks. Matsushita has managed to squeeze onto the tape two extra tracks, one for each stereo pair. Digital signals are carried on these tracks and read by an extra head in the special cassette player. They are fed to a memory. Playing at conventional speed, the tape takes a little over three seconds to feed enough digital information into the memory to produce a color picture on a monitor screen. Using this process, a total of 1,000 color photographs can be com- bined with an hour-long dialogue or music on the special tape. The audio tracks are the same as those found on conventional cassettes so that the special cassette produces normal stereo sound when played on a regular recorder. D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 T E C H N I C A L N O T E S 103 Matsushita has also developed a related technique whereby it can transmit single video pictures over telephone lines. In this process, the input video picture is put on a drum rotating at two rpm. T h e stretched field is then transmitted over ordinary telephone lines at 30 seconds per picture. Disc Record Preservative. In its earlier days, the Ball Corporation, P. O. Box 3300, Muncie, Indiana 47302, was best known for its jars and lids used in home canning. Today, the corporation's research activities into dry lubricants for NASA have pro- duced new technology which is gaining notice in the field of record preservation. Introduced in 1976, Sound Guard is Ball's contribution to the protection of disc rec- ordings. We are all aware that the stylus used in playing phonograph records ultimately causes wear and degradation to the recording's frequency response. T o alleviate this condition, a number of products have appeared which u p o n application to the disc are supposed to minimize its wear. Unfortunately, many of these are silicone based and sticky in nature. They tend to build u p residues in the recording's grooves and diminish its fidelity. Ball's Sound Guard product is a new dry-lubricant designed to minimize disc rec- ording deterioration. Since it is not silicone based, it does not cause noticeable fidel- ity losses to records. It is applied to a disc in spray form. T h e solution evaporates quickly, and an invisible coating of the Sound Guard lubricant is left on the rec- ord's surface. T h e record is then buffed with a velvet pad, supplied also. This action leaves a coating five millionths of an inch thick on the recording's grooves. Also incorporated into the solution are cleaning and anti-static materials. Since Sound Guard's introduction, various reports have appeared in audio jour- nals commenting on the attributes of the new lubricant. Independent laboratory tests have also been conducted and, to date, all reports have been most laudatory. In more than one case it has been called one of the best things to happen in the disc rec- ording field. Apparently, it has been demonstrated that Sound Guard does minimize the loss of frequency response normally produced in repeated playings of both stereo and CD- 4 records. T h e treatment decreases harmonic distortion that normally occurs after repeated playings, as well as surface noise and dust that is attracted to the record sur- face. According to its manufacturer, Sound Guard might show wear after twenty-five playings. T h e various press reports indicate that this is a very conservative figure. Sound Guard can be reapplied and adheres only to the record's bare spots. It appar- ently does not adhere to itself. It is a most remarkable lubricant. Besides its application on vinyl discs, the product can also be sprayed on old 78's to reduce their background hiss before they are transferred to tape. Sound Guard does reduce friction between the stylus and the record's groove. Because of diis, users are advised to monitor their anti-ska ting force which may need a slight reduction. T h e enthusiasm with which this product has been received by those who are often negative about such materials testifies to its utility. Ball Corporation has copies of some of the test reports available for those interested in more specifics. For those desiring purchase, it comes in a plastic container holding a 2-ounce bottle of fluid, a p u m p sprayer, and a velvet buffer pad. T h e package retails for $5.95. D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 104 THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST—January 1977 25-Cent Video Disc. Digital Record Corporation, New York, has exhibited a pro- totype video recording system that stores thirty minutes of TV on a five by seven inch plate. The firm feels that preproduction units will be available late this year. The system features optical recording which produces records of digitized material in the form of micrometer-sized dots and spaces on a fixed photosensitive plate. The plate can be replayed on equipment estimated to cost as little as $300. DRC's machine is unlike any other videodisc system in that it uses a static record instead of a spinning disc. The record is a plastic laminated card that is expected to cost less than 25C to produce. In operation, a TV signal is digitally encoded using conventional analogue to digital electronic techniques. A photo-diode produces a modulated optical signal which is serially scanned onto a photosensitive plate by a scanning head which has several equally spaced apertures around its periphery. An optical distributor fixed in the spindle of the scanning head switches the recording beam from one aperture to another. At the end of each recording line, the scanning head moves laterally. The curved lines of microspots and spaces can be replayed using a similar optical system in reverse. Tracking adjustment is necessary if the record is to be replayed on another unit. DRC feels that this system has significant advantages over other methods of video recording because of its convenience and flexibility. It is supposed to be less sensi- tive to dust and focusing errors as well as being more compact. Archivists will be interested to learn that the digital recording system could be adapted for many other applications such as document storage. With a density stor- age of 300 million bits per square inch, it produces records several thousand times smaller than microfilm. Also, recorded information can be encrypted for security reasons. Video Disc At Last. It appears that 1977 will finally be the year for the introduc- tion in the U.S. of the much discussed video disc. Over the past several years, many reports have been circulating relative to this new technology. Often these stories have been most laudatory and enthusiastic. Regrettably, the enthusiasm has not been followed by the necessary equipment. The equipment delay has even been panned in the professional video press. Obviously, with many competitors involved and several approaches available, the manufacturers are jockeying for the best sales position, while at the same time trying to determine the lay of the land for potential sales. It has even been suggested that porno material will be a best seller on video discs. Much of the literature to date has been about plans, market potential, and the dif- ferent technical approaches available. In surveying the scene, such system designa- tions as Thomson-CSF, TeD, MCA/Philips, RCA, MDR, and Optodisc are found. The total number passes two dozen, with technical data available on less than 50 percent. Many prognosticators feel that it will be the late 1980s before video discs become viable in the consumer market. To back up such observations, they cite the fact that new media often are a long time aborning. The time between the discovery of basic feasibility and commercial viability can be several decades or more. The West German TeD videodisc player was die first on the commercial scene, in 1975. Manufactured by AEG-Telefunken, the player has had sluggish sales in Ger- many and Scandinavia during its first years. It has been suggested that one of the reasons for this has been its limited playing time of ten minutes. Telefunken has attempted to counteract this by developing an automatic record changer which can D ow nloaded from http://m eridian.allenpress.com /doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.40.1.j5q411345gu43512 by C arnegie M ellon U niversity user on 06 A pril 2021 T E C H N I C A L NOTES 105 handle u p to twelve discs. Unfortunately, the changer is still a prototype model and there are no present plans to manufacture it. Apparently the TeD player does show good color pictures when coupled to a reg- ular television set. Since March 1975, TeD has developed a catalog of two-hundred disc titles available to its European purchasers. These amount to thirty-three hours of playing time. T h e disc used by T e D is made of polyvinyl chloride. It is flexible; paper-thin, weighing about a third of an ounce; and it measures 8% inches in diameter. Its 280 grooves per millimeter are played mechanically. TeD is currently studying optical pickups. T h e player capability features fast-forward and reverse. A repeat button allows single frames to be repeated for ten seconds. Disc life is reported to be the same as conventional LP's. A protective sleeve is used for storing and handling the disc. The disc is left inside this sleeve until inserted into the player. T h e player then automati- cally removes it for playing and, after playback, reinserts it into the sleeve. Cost of the TeD players in Germany runs between five and six hundred U.S. dollars. Disc prices are between 50 and 100 percent of comparable L P records. Other European activity in this field involves the Thomson-CSF optical video disc system. T h e French company plans to concentrate first on institutional needs in Europe before going to the larger consumer market. They do not believe Europe is economically sound in the consumer area because color TV sets are few on the Continent and people would opt for them before video disc players. T h e Thomson-CSF video disc player for institutions will feature a flexible disc stored in a cassette which is inserted as a unit into the player. T h e outer jacket is then withdrawn and the disc remains in the player, positioned by the drawer of the cassette left to support it. In playback, the disc is raised by an electromagnetic p l u g from the drawer, engag- ing with the player's drive shaft. After playback, the protective sleeve is reinserted and the entire cassette is withdrawn. T h e Thomson record is transparent and read by an optical laser system. Freeze- frame and random access are both possible with the T h o m s o n player. Like the MCA/Philips unit, each 360-degree track on the record is numbered for fast access to individual frames. Thomson has two read-out methods available. T h e first features an air-jet which cleans and stabilizes the disc as the laser beam reads it. T h e alternative method util- izes electronic circuits with an astigmatic sensor as the stabilizer. Thomson will choose between these before it finally introduces its European model in 1978. News in the United States centers around MCA/Philips and RCA. MCA has been granted