Microfilm and Computer Full Text of Archival Documents
Abstract
The development of the computer, and more recently the personal computer, has provided a possible solution to the major logistics problem of the storage and retrieval of archival data. An efficient or economical manual solution has been precluded by the number of people necessary to support a very large data-base and the main bottleneck has occurred in the retrieval and later refiling of the data of interest. In addition, original documents have a finite lifetime, which is adversely affected each time a document is handled. Microfilm retention of data has provided a partial solution, but does suffer from several serious drawbacks. In general, it has very poor spatial resolution especially when archival information contains diagrams, figures, and photographs in addition to alpha-numeric data. Storage parameters such as heat and humidity, as well as the amount of usage by individuals also affect the lifetime of the microfilm itself. A very large microfilm data-base requires the services of information retrieval specialists to provide an efficient library function for users, thereby increasing the overhead. The intent of this contract is to develop and demonstrate the archival storage of documents using computer-based imaging techniques and the retrieval of these documents by standard database management software. (sdw)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 13, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA204055