iorocards, a -\T w Form of ~Iicrocards, which combine in one unit the complete text and a catalog entry, offer maximum convenience in handling, mailing, and filing because they have the dimen- sions of standard librarj cards. Printed on paper stock, they are more durable and less expensive than microfilm. Over a niillion microcards ha, e been produced during a little more than a year of commercial activity.

ICROCARDS are library catalog cards bearing not only a complete catalog entry in t,he accepted bibliographical form but also, in greatly reduced microprint, the complete text of

the book described in the catalog entry. By the use of the proper neadirig machine the tiny microprinted pages can be easily read.

Microcards are unique in that they combine in one unit both test material (in microprint) and a centralized precataloging of it. Maximum convenience in handling, mailing, and filing rc- sult’s from the fact that microcards have the same dimensions as standard librarycards (7.5 X 12.5 cm.).

Microcards are printed on paper card stock and consequcntll- are more durable and less expensive than microfilm. Production costs are spread over a larger number of copies; microcard edi- tions begin with 25 copies and often run to over 100. As Miles Price of the Columbia University Law Library has said, “Micro- cards are a new method of publication; microfilm is a method of copying.” These two microreproduction methods thus tend to supplement each other rather than compete directly.

During the past 300 years our great research libraries have been doubling in size every 16 years (1) . This geometrically increasing flood of printed mat,ter confronts librarians, and also scholars and educational administrators, with a cost problem having four parts-namely, pric,e of original material, cost of binding, cost of cataloging, and storage cost. Little can be accomplished by focusing attention on any one part of the problem. A study of the problem as a whole was the basis on which microca,rds were developed.

REDUCTION OF LIBRARY COSTS

It is instructive to note just hon- microcards effect reduction in all four of the above-mentioned library costs. First and most obvious, storage costs are greatly reduced. Several tiers of shelves of books, put into microcard form, can be housed in a single catalog drawer. The price of purchased material is re- duced from three fourths to nine tenths, depending on the cost of the original book or pamphlet in its conventional printed form, t,he size of the microcard edit’ion, and the mode of ordering the microcards. There are no binding costs, and cataloging expense is eliminated except where special circumstances make it neces- sary to catalog de novo.

The highest bibliographical standards are followed in catalog- ing microcards and the catdog entries provided make it possible to file the cards:

In classified order according to the Dewey Decimal Classifica- tion

In classified order according to the Library of Congress Classifi- cation

Alphabetically by authors Alphabetically by titles Alphabetically by subject lieadinas entered in the cent,er of the

In general, librarians prefer to use t,he same scheme for filing The cards

top line of t,he card

their microcards as for arranging books on shelves. require no processing preparat,ory t,o filing.

Thc cataloging of microcnrds, like their tiling, ma;- be done i n different ways:

The catalog entry may be copied from the microcard onto wta- log cards. This procedure, which is used in the miter’s library, involves only nominal clerical expense.

Catalog cards for each microcard niay be ordered from the Library of Congress.

their own catalog. The microcards themselves niay be regarded as constituting

This aonroacli. which eliminates all catalog- ing expense, segms best kdaptecf to the needs of individuil scholars and small librarici.

TRCHNICAL AND ORGANI%ATION.AL PROBLEJIS

Some four years of development work involving an inve.+t,nieiit of a quarter of a million dollars have been necessary to solve the technical and organizational problems en(-ountered in making microcards and microcard readers pritctical functioning tools. This development work was financed and carried on by two com- mercial organizations, working in close cooperation, the Eastman Kodalr Company, .Rochester, N. Y., and the Korthern Engraving and AIanufacturing Company, LaCrosse, Wis. It was under the close scrutiny and advisory direction of the Kational Microcard Committee, the members of which were appointed by the major American library associations and represent most of the largest American libraries.

The committee’s first^ task was standardization of microcard size, format, catalog entry, test reductmion ratio, and the like. This was necessary to ensure that microcards supplied by different organizations might be used with the same readers and be readily interfilable. Technical development work included design of microcard reading machines, preparat’ion of new photographic emulsions, and design and construct.ion of microcard photo- graphic cameras aud other equipment such as developing and printing machines. The edition printing of microcards by mass production methods is now possible.

Organizing t,he production and distribution of microcards in- volves a number of problems. ?resent indications, in contrast to first expectations, are that, microcard publishing will not be under- taken by any large number of research libraries. Instead, it seems destined t o be conducted by the same type of organiza- tions--sonle commercial, some nonprofit--that now engage in conventional publishing of books and periodicals. No monopoly rights in niicrocards have been sought. Any person or organiza- tion willing to invest in the needed equipment can enter this field of publishing. In order to conduct the necessary pioneering and pilot plant development, the committee organized the Microcard Foundation, vhich was cliart’ered in 1948 by the state of Kiscon- sin as a nonprofit-making educational iristjitution. This pub- lishing foundation, whose board of trustees includes four librari- ans, stands ready to cooperate with other publishing organiza- tions, both commercial and noncommercial.

The scope of microcard publication extends beyond reprint issuance and includes -first publication of material otherwise diffi- cultly available-for example, doctoral dissertations. On copy- right material it may be necessary to include author’s royalties in t.he purchase price of the cards.

The cost of producing microcards varies with the character of the text material and particularly with the size of the edition. If the sales price is t o be kept below 15 cent>s, the edition must run to a t least 50 copies. If there is a market for only 25 copies of a given title, retail prices will run to :it leust 20 cents per card.

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Retail prices may drop to 10 cents, and to 5 cents, as the size of the edition is increased to 100 and to 500 copies, respectively.

The retail purchase price Qf microcards is also seriously affected by the way in which they are ordered. The cost of handling an order for a single microcard may easily equal, or exceed, the card’s wholesale production cost. Important savings can there- fore be achieved by ordering microcards on a subscription, or other wholesale, basis. These savings are particularly impres- sive when a group of pamphlets or small books-Le., many single card items-is covered by one order.

Another feature of importance economically is the possibility of ordering on microcards only a part of a larger item as needed- e.g., one volume of a set, a single issue of a periodical, or even one chapter of a book. Naturally, such highly selective purchasing also increases unit costs.

TWO microcard readers, each giving approximately 24 power magnification, have been developed. The larger, standard ma- chine has a screen about l l X 13 inches in size. I ts selling price is $195. A smaller portable reader has a 9 X 12 inch srreen and sells for $162.50. This machine weighs only 11 pounds and is only a little larger than a typewriter.

Over a million microcards have been produced during the brief period-scarcely more than a year-of commercial activity. -4 catalog of microcard publications has been issued. Those inter- ested in microcards loolc on this, however, as only a very modest beginning.

LITERATURE CITED

(1) Rider, Ii’remont, “The Scholar and the Future of the Reseaich

RECEIVED May 4, 1950.

Library,” New York, Hadham Press, 1944.

Y

Microcards and Nicrofilm for a Central Reference File

J. W. KUIPERS Color Control Department, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, >V. Y

w i t h particular reference to the needs of industrial organizations, a procedure for the documentation of tech- nical information is described. The method is an exten- sion of conventional microfilming combined with the use of microcards. Standardized microfilm strips from 16-mm. film are used for the master file record. File material for which there is only occasional demand is kept in this form. Material which will be in active use or which requires wide distribution is kept on microcards, made by contact print- ing from the microfilm strips with the use of a special sensitized paper. A reproducible master index card is

H E modern industrial organization spares‘ no expense to see that all necessary publications are acquired for the use of its technical staff. The library shelves of a large company are

usually filled with all the books and periodicals that it is possible to obtain in a particular field of interest. It is an accepted policy to see that the large amount of technical information that is gen- erated within its organization is properly recorded and preserved. Technical reports and memoranda are written, experimental data are recorded, and this material accumulates in the company files.

Because of the quantity of technical information received, the company staff man who wants to use this material is up against definite difficulties. He cannot read all items of interest as they are issued. The periodical literature, technical reports, informa- tion on new products, file memoranda, etc., are too numerous even to Gonsider examining them systematically or with any de- gree of thoroughness. Indexes and abstract journals are helpful, but there is no time to follow up more than a few of the important abstracts and references. When an original journal article or a report is wanted, someone else may be using the copy and the item usually arrives weeks or months later. When a valuable reference is actually in hand, there is the problem of how to retain the data i t contains. Making notes is laborious and inadequate. A full-size photographic copy is usually some time in coming and it is inconvenient to keep and to file.

This is all another way of saying that companies and organiza- tions may have volumes of valuable information on shelves and in

T

used to facilitate the cataloging, notification, and micro- card imprinting operations. Details are given of the photographic equipment, the file equipment for the niicro- film strips, and the microcard readers which have recently become available. The procedure provides a systematic means of retaining all types of information in a central file. Subject headings together with the microcard record eliminate much of the need for abstracting. In addition to conveniences of form for filing, handling, and use, microcards facilitate distribution of essential information and make it more accessible to the individual specialist.

files, but in making effective use of the material anti getting it into the hands of the man who needs it, a great deal more can be done.

The problem of retaining technical data and keeping them in the most accessible form has been a troublesome one for the Color Control Department of the Eastman Kodak Company. The complexities of manufacture and the control of quality of color photographic materials make it a prime necessity that a staff man have immediately available all the information that is useful for his particular work, This paper describes a method developed with a view to improving the accessibility and usefulness of the information retained in the Color Control Department files.

INCORPORATING INFORMATION IN A CENTRAL REFERENCE FILE

The procedure is based on the use of microcards (3) and tho microfilm strip negatives from which they are printed. Figure 1 illustrates both sides of a typical microcard, obtained by contact printing the negative microfilm strips (Figure 2) on a special sen- sitized paper stock. The negative strips are made from 16-mm. film, and the exposures are made with conventional microfilming equipment. Five film strips are required to print a full microcard record of 60 pages.

It has been possible to work out a routine procedure by stand- ardizing the form of the microfilm strip (Figure 3). The micro- film record is made on 16-mm. unperforated film, and by using