--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 09:24:02 -0700
From: Brian Bach <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Bell & Howell Sanborns
Sender: Brian Bach <[log in to unmask]>
It would seem that if a company is managing something like Sanborn maps, where clarity and ultra-high quality resolution are mandatory for exacting users, then the least they could do is make the investment worthwhile. Hopefully, future scans will come up to acceptable standards. Maybe they will even be in glorious Technicolor! Have you communicated your (apparent) dissatisfaction to Bell & Howell? Subscribers should demand better quality. For inspiration in how to do digital map presentation correctly, all they need to do is gaze at the David Rumsey collection, which is state of the art.
We still rely on our aging but serviceable Sanborn microfilm. Users can then digitize via our Canon Microform Scanner 800s, and further enhancement can be achieved through Photoshop or other image handling software. Colors can then be restored (if they are known), and many other improvements are possible.
Brian
Brian P. Bach
Maps Specialist
Documents/Maps
Central Washington University Library
400 E. 8th Ave.
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7548
USA
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>>> [log in to unmask] 10/09/01 01:04PM >>>
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 15:18:26 -0400
From: Kathleen Weessies <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: RE: Bell & Howell Sanborn's
I bought the maps to Michigan only. It was about $11,900 to purchase
outright, though we also have to pay $500 per year after that for them to
maintain the interface. We could have developed our own interface and not
paid the $500 maintenance. We also could have simply subscribed to the
Michigan maps for $3,000 per year. I thought the one-time purchase was a
better deal. The entire U.S. was $96,760, but that is a special "pre-pub"
price good through the end of 2001. Other states had other prices, for
instance Illinois $16,200 with a $500 annual fee. Minnesota was the bargain
of the Big Ten at $7,350 and a $350 annual fee.
When I asked exactly which years are available for which towns, the salesman
mailed me a photocopy of the pertinent pages from "Fire Insurance Maps in
the Library of Congress" (which I already own).
My feelings about the database are very mixed. I didn't have the fiche, so
this is a new "better than nothing" collection for me. The access mechanism
is VERY awkward, and the images are small .gifs (or equally fuzzy PDFs,
depending on which button you push). I ask my printer to blow each page out
to 11" x 17" to add some visibility, but the product is still less than
ideal. I made a little tutorial for my student workers, but keep in mind
it is tailored specifically to my situation.
Kathleen Weessies
Maps/GIS Librarian
100 Library 308
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1048
517-432-9669
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-----Original Message-----
From: Johnnie Sutherland [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2001 2:38 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Bell & Howell Sanborn's <fwd>
--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2001 09:25:00 -0400
From: David Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Bell & Howell Sanborn's
Sender: David Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
Colleagues -
Is anyone subscribing to the Bell & Howell Sanborn maps? I suspect these
are not "inexpensive" since I can find no cost information searching the
Bell & Howell site. Does anyone have information on their service and/or
their quality?
David Cobb
***************************************************************************
David A. Cobb Tel. 617.495.2417
Harvard Map Collection FAX 617.496.0440
Harvard College Library Email: [log in to unmask]
Cambridge, MA 02138
http://hcl.harvard.edu/maps
************************** VERITAS ****************************************
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