Eastman Kodak Company, 343 State Street, Rochester, NY 14650 CORNELL, USC TO DEMO PHOTO CD TECHNOLOGY FOR ACCESS TO IMAGE COLLECTIONS BALTIMORE, Oct. 28 - Researchers will gain on-screen access to thousands of historical photographs, paintings and other images in a demonstration of Eastman Kodak CompanyUs Photo CD technology at two major universities. The Kodak Library Image Consortium demonstration project will include Cornell University, which initially will scan onto Photo CD discs photographs of a collection of color paintings, drawings and manuscripts from noted ornithologist Louis Agassiz Fuertes; and the University of Southern California, which will scan thousands of historical black-and-white photographs from the USC LibraryUs Regional History Collection that document the history and development of Southern California and the Southwest over the past 130 years. Photo CD images from both collections are on display here at EDUCOM U92 in the Kodak booth, number 902. Along with Kodak and the two universities, the project is also sponsored by the Commission on Preservation and Access, a non- profit organization that coordinates efforts to make documented records accessible to future generations. "This project brings together some of the nation's leading experts in library science, information technology, and a range of academic disciplines," said KodakUs Donald E. Olson, director of new markets development for higher education. "We are delighted that these experts are working with Kodak to demonstrate the potential of Photo CD technology for expanding access to the unique collections of different institutions." The Kodak Photo CD system allows photographic images to be scanned onto compact discs for input to a computer, using a CD- ROM XA drive, or for display on television using a Photo CD player. The players, which also play audio CDs, became available to consumers in August. In addition to the original Photo CD disc format, which stores up to 100 35 mm film images at full photographic resolution, Kodak has announced a number of other disc formats - all of which are compatible with the home players and CD-ROM drives. They include discs which store the larger film formats favored by professional photographers (like 120 and 4x5), also at full resolution; discs that enable the creation of on-disc programs that merge images with text, graphics and sound; catalog discs, which store up to 6,000 images at video resolution for easy distribution; and discs designed for medical applications that store digital diagnostic modalities - like computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance images (MR) - along with film-based images. Officials at Cornell and USC said they will explore the use of different disc formats for different applications as the project progresses. Both schools will create image databases, and will study usage patterns to determine the most effective ways to make images accessible to academic researchers. Although the demonstration projects at Cornell and USC have been designed as independent activities, both universities plan to explore opportunities to exchange images and image libraries with one another across the Internet, an on-line information network that links researchers and students at universities and other institutions worldwide. "Brittle Books" Problem Besides making images more accessible, Photo CD technology may serve as a tool to preserve illustrated texts and other records that are decaying on library shelves. About 80 percent of the books published since 1850 and stored in American libraries are printed on acidic paper that will harden and crumble over time, the Commission on Preservation and Access estimates. In fact, 25-30 percent of these books are already dangerously brittle. The U.S. Library of Congress and other institutions have been working for years on ways to de-acidify the paper in these books, but the technology is not yet practical for mass applications. The Commission serves on behalf of the nationUs libraries, archives and universities to develop and encourage collaborative strategies for preserving and providing access to the accumulated human record. As part of this effort, the Commission has been engaged in catalyzing and supporting a nationwide program administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to save 3 million brittle books over the next 20 years - by conserving the most valuable records in their original form, and by preserving the rest using alternatives such as microfilm and digital technology. "WeUre enthusiastic about the opportunity to explore the potential of the Photo CD process as a medium for preserving illustrated texts," Commission President Patricia Battin said. "It appears likely to offer a combination of image quality, accessibility and affordability previously unavailable in a digital medium for illustrated color imagery and oversized materials. If the demonstration succeeds, Photo CD technology could become one of the key elements in a comprehensive strategy to preserve records for future generations." Cornell and USC are part of an informal consortium of institutions studying digital preservation options, using seed money provided by the Commission. Other member institutions include Harvard, Penn State, Princeton, Stanford, Tennessee and Yale. Color Images at Cornell At Cornell University, Photo CD technology will be used to enhance access to the worldUs largest collection of work from Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927). Fuertes - a lifelong resident of Ithaca, N.Y., where Cornell is located - was an accomplished ornithologist recognized by other ornithologists as this countryUs greatest painter of birds, superior even to Audubon in his ability to capture their beauty and make them appear truly lifelike. In the initial phase of the demonstration project, Cornell will scan photographs of a substantial portion of its Fuertes collection - which includes over 1,000 pictures (watercolors, oils, chalk drawings and pencil and pen-and-ink sketches), 500 photographs, and 10,000 pages of notes and letters - onto Photo CD discs. The university will create an image database that will allow researchers to access these images by a variety of search parameters, such as a species of bird or artistic medium. "We have to determine how to structure search parameters that will make images accessible to all types of users, from art students to zoologists" said H. Thomas Hickerson, director of rare and manuscript collections for the Cornell University Libraries. "In addition, we have to supply enough contextual information to make the image useful when accessed through an electronic network." Researchers are likely to use the benefits of on-line image collections in two ways, Hickerson said. In some cases, the digital file will replace the need to see an original - all the information a researcher needs can be obtained by viewing images on-screen or making prints. In others, researchers may conduct an on-line search to preview the holdings of one or more repositories, and then determine exactly which items need to be seen in person. M. Stuart Lynn, vice president for information technologies at Cornell, said that the demonstration project will combine the collection management experience of its library system with the technological capabilities of its information network and computer departments. "Institutions like Cornell have a variety of collections of artwork, artifacts, maps and other records of academic value that are not generally as well-cataloged or as easily accessible as library books," Lynn said. "WeUre very excited about the prospect of Photo CD technology for digitally capturing these images and providing improved access through the convenience of digital distribution. "WeUre also attracted by the potential advantages of the Photo CD system as a consumer technology," Lynn added. "There are interesting possibilities in being able to view images on home TV sets as well as on desktop computers." Images of Southern California at USC USCUs initial activities will focus on thousands of historical photographs from the UniversityUs Regional History Collection in the Department of Special Collections at the University Library. These black-and-white images, some dating back to 1860, document the history and development of Southern California and the Southwest. The USC photographic archives include materials from a number of collections, including The Hearst Collection, California Historical Society Collection, and the "Dick" Whittington Collection, among others. The photographs in the USC collection are used by a variety of researchers, including historians studying the development of Southern California, design and architecture specialists interested in the changing character of Los Angeles over the past 100 years, documentary film makers such as Ken and Ric Burns, and designers and producers in the entertainment industry who study photographs in the USC collections to create accurate costumes and sets for such movies as "Bugsy." "Image collections are an important component of the USC Library holdings," said Peter Lyman, university librarian at USC. "Although images have great value in teaching and research, their usefulness has been limited by the difficulty of organizing photographic collections, the vulnerability of photographs to damage, and the absence of an inexpensive medium for reproducing images and integrating them into other work. Photo CD products offer us an important new technology for preserving our collection and also expanding access." Kenneth C. Green, director of The James Irvine Foundation Center for Scholarly Technology at USC, explained that the photographs will be scanned onto Photo CD discs to create an on- line image database for researchers. The discs may be stored in the Kodak Professional Photo CD Image Library - a "jukebox" that holds up to 100 Photo CD discs, allowing users to retrieve images from any disc in a few seconds. "One of the benefits of working with Photo CD technology is that Kodak offers so many components of an integrated solution," Green said. "Universities, like big corporations, are striving to achieve the benefits of distributed access and networked printing. Along with the core Photo CD technology, Kodak offers jukeboxes, printers, software and other products that integrate very well." Lyman and Green said they believe that this demonstration project with Cornell will be watched closely by other institutions. "This pilot project is extremely important, not just to USC but to the entire academic community," Lyman said. "The Photo CD technology is impressive and we see key opportunities to use it to enhance access and preserve image collections in a wide range of academic endeavors." Customers interested in more information may call the Kodak Information Center at 1-800-242-2424, ext. 77. 30 (Kodak is a trademark.)