Aaron,

      Thanx for your eloquent and accurate answer to dave's question.  I
can add a bit more.

After EAS, I went to the library to personally thank the collection
curator and library preservation staff that made access to the rare
books possible.
   I also had visions of trying to gain access to some of the
books so I could do some reading.  We were talking about status
of "the vault" where all the valuable rare books are kept so
as to physically protect them from theft/defacement and physical
degradation by humidity--- when I got the bad news!!!!

    Any New York State resident can gain access---by appointment during
regular business hours.  Now I live close, I  work on Cornell campus 1/2
mile from the library and still find this restrictive.  So I started
asking questions based on EF Phillips premise that the collection was
for beekeepers.  This lead into a discussion about digitizing, money and
the WWW.

    At one EAS board meeting I remember that the board were
discussing making a bibliography of beekeeping literature for
distribution on CD or the web and how much it might cost etc.  But what
good is knowing a book is available in a library half way across the
country?  Since Cornell has the WWW infrastructure to serve up the
books all they need is some money to get them on line and anyone can
get to them!  Basically the money will pay some student to carefully
scan each book and edit the output for loading on the web.

    This project is good for both the Library and beekeeper.  The library
is using the digitization as a next logical step to preservation &
distribution.  Even though
it is at Cornell they are not flooded with cash.  The beekeeper could
have ready access from personal computer or library computer to this
library as intended by Phillips, if we supply some cash toward the
effort.

    If you have any questions or would like a copy of the flier e-mail
me.  I could send the flier out  you in PDF format--This would be a
great cause for your local association with the payoff being direct
access
to the goods!

Mike

Mike Griggs
Entomologist/ Support Scientist
Plant Protection Research Unit
USDA ARS, U.S. Plant, Soil & Nutrition Lab.
Tower Road, Ithaca, NY  14853
http://www.ppru.cornell.edu/PPRU.htm

phone:  607-255-1085
fax:        607-255-1132
email:    [log in to unmask]

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