Preservation review
Three ranges of films will be unavailable from October 13-20, as we test them for material composition and signs of degradation. These ranges are:
3203.605.90.1-3203.605.90.18
3199.371.39.3-3199.371.39.249
3848.5.1-3848.5.11
Handling microformats
Please use nitrile (not cotton) gloves to handle all microformats. Try to handle only the edges.
Picture quality
For better picture quality on the ST ViewScan II microform reader/scanner, select 1200 dpi (click on Capture, Output, Resolution).
The camera works from top left when enlarging.
If files are too big and/or taking too long to transfer, try downscaling to 300 dpi.
+/-: Avoid. Digital zoom is inferior to manual zoom. Use Magnify to increase pixel count by magnitudes of 4.
To reduce cropping of page into tiny box: under the Cropping tab, click on Magnify.
Usage statistics
To obtain usage statistics such as a scan count, follow these steps.
- Open software.
- Click File.
- Click About.
Printing scans
Occasionally patrons wish to print from the ST ViewScan II. This is tricky as it isn't networked to a printer. Here is a workaround:
- Insert a USB drive into the computer (there are spare drives in Christina's drawers).
- In the File tab, select the images to print, select Adobe PDF (Default) in the drop-down menu, and click Print.
- Save the file with an intuitive name. I recommend the call number of the film as patrons sometimes make scans from several films and have difficulty remembering which film contained which frames.
- Eject the drive.
- Insert the drive into the printer's USB port.
- Using the down arrow key, navigate to the file and click the OK button.
Other microform reader/scanners on campus
There are no ST ViewScan III or IV models on campus as of August 15, 2023. The Fine Arts Library has a colour ST ViewScan II. Houghton Library has a Scan Pro 3500.