Here are the responses I got to my request for information about microfiche
readers/scanners. I discovered that the magic search term to use at the
vendor web-pages is "microform scanner". Additionally, I've looked over the
documentation for the Minolta MS7000 (MSRP $10,795) and MS6000 (MSRP $5420)
pricing is for the basic machine and "does not include lenses, carriers,
options, accessories, delivery or installation." Canon prices seem to be in
the same range. I found MS400 advertised for $7380, MS350 at $7875, MS800
at $11,295.
I do have one question, though. The Canon MS400 advertises itself as being
able to handle large format documents. Does anybody have any experience
with this feature? Do any of the Minoltas handle large documents as well?
Also, it looks like libraries are favoring Minoltas over Canons. Any
comment as to why?
Here are excerpts of the replies to my initial question:
We just purchased a Minolta RP603Z with universal carrier. It replaced two
Minolta RP503 machines. We also have a Minolta MS 6000 which we use for
digitizing.
The RP603Z is similar enough to our old RP503's and the MS6000 that staff
training on the new equipment was almost a review instead. The RP603 is
also easy for our patrons to learn and use on their own.
The UC-2 Universal Carrier is worth the money so that we don't have to
switch carriers between microfiche and microfilm. The Universal Carrier
handles both formats.
We also purchased the 13-27x zoom lens. We already have a 23-50 zoom lens
that we now share with our Minolta MS 6000 so we did not see a need to
purchase a second one.
The Minolta RP603Z has a built-in printer.
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We purchased a Minolta MS 7000. It has a very large viewing screen. They
sell for about $15,000. Minolta has a smaller screen/model, the MS 6000
which many libraries seem to have.
The scanner process works well, but is time consuming in the sense that one
has to first copy, then save to a disc or CD one image at a time. Our
professors seem to prefer simply printing out the items on our Minolta 605
machines.
We use it very little, to tell the truth.
----------------------------------------------------
We are actually in the process of replacing/upgrading some of our
reader/printers. Right now we own four Minolta RP605s, varying in age
from 5-10 years. We also lease a Canon MS400. The five-year lease on
the Canon is up in June. We are considering buying or leasing either
two new Minolta MS6000s or two new Canon MS400s and keeping the best of
our existing Minoltas, thereby going from five machines to three. (We
have in excess of 200,000 volume equivalents in fiche/film, although we
don't have why I consider to be consistently heavy usage.) We will
probably get one with a universal carrier (that allows use of both fiche
and film) and one with just a fiche carrier, which is at least $1,000
cheaper. We are probably going to get machines with digitizing
capability for a couple of reasons. First, adding that feature is not
much more expensive -- essentially it's software that gets added to the
standard machine. Second, it enables users to capture digital images of
fiche or film instead of just enabling them to print it. With the
digital image they can then save it to a disk or CD or even email it to
themselves instead of just printing it. They can also print it of
course. The price on these things has come down considerably over the
past several years and the quality has improved tremendously. I've seen
both machines in demos now and they are pretty easy to operate -- as
easy if not easier than our older ones and probably a lot more reliable
-- they now use laser printers, which adds to the cost but does a better
job and results in far fewer paper jams. Purchase prices look to be in
the $6,000 - 9,0000 range with annual maintenance agreements another
$700-1,000. (For us, we will be able to save by having only three
maintenance agreements instead of five.)Leasing will probably be in the
range of $200/month all inclusive for a 60-month term. Just be sure that
your reader fits the majority of your fiche without having to turn it
sideways to copy.
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In about 1985 I bought a new reader/printer for the library. I bought the
same model that
the rest of the agency used to read internally produced records. I didn't
check to see that we could copy pages of the _Congressional Record_ or
_Federal Register_ without first turning it 180 degrees.
--------------------------------------------------------------
We purchased a microform digital scanner/printer last fall
and have been pleased with it. We had ordered a Minolta
MSP6000 model but ended up with the almost-identical Kodak
2400DSV. Like you, we have light but regular use of
microforms and all users are pleased with this new
equipment. It is certainly easier to use, more
versatile, and provides many more options for using our
microforms collection.
The package we purchased included a zoom lens, a universal
carrier, and a workstation. We provided the computer.
With a PC interface for the scanner and various other
interface hardware and software plus a 1-year maintenance
agreement (for $950), the grand total was $12,279
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There was a similar discussion on govdoc-l recently -- in the past 6
months. You might try searching the archives there. The general consensus
was that Minoltas are better than Cannons. We have two Cannon
reader/printer/scanners that work ok, but are a bit finicky sometimes, need
two kinds of lenses (to deal with the 48x LLMC Congressional Record) and
are a royal pain (and royal-caliber expense) to get serviced. They do work
pretty consistently though; our use patterns are similar to what you describe.
We are looking into a "realtime scanner" thing that essentially connects a
video camera to a fiche/film carrier and a computer. Patrons use this thing
to read the fiche on a computer screen and then can print or save using the
computer. It's a lot smaller than a traditional reader/printer. I think
it's called a micro-mouse or something like that...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
We just purchased two Minolta models that have the
capability of digitizing. We wanted to have the capability for ILL
purposes. When we looked we found that there are basically only two
manufacturers -- Minolta and Canon. there are a couple of other smaller
outfits but we wanted standard equipment and plentiful support. Either the
Canon or the Minolta make great prints to a laser printer. We selected the
Minolta because the digital interface to the computer was simpler (for
digitizing purposes) and we could have two reader/printers hooked up to one
laser printer. The Canon model called for one printer for each
reader/printer or for the reader/printers to be hooked up to one printer
using an A/B switch so that you have to switch between machines to print.
On the other hand, we found the Canon to be apparently easier to use. I say
apparently because they can both be set up operate on the press of one
button but the Minolta machine has lots of buttons and features that can be
operated and might put off the occasional user. You can save money on
lenses by purchasing the same brand you already have. The new Minolta
machine uses the same lenses as their previous non-digital model and I
believe the Canon lenses are interchangeable with earlier models. We had
Minolta machines previously so that too led us to Minolta. The most
important issue I found besides specific features is the level of support
you will get. These machines are used by the general population and (if
past experience is any guide) will require more service than you might
expect.
---------------------------------------------
I have always had good luck with Minolta reader/printers and
reader/scanners. The model of scanner I last purchased was a MicroSP 2000.
I believe the current model is a MicroSP 3000. The scanning quality is good
and it excels in scanning ultrafiche, if you need that function. The
digitizing was good to a point, but large files (many pages at once) seemed
to overburden the computer's ability to send by email. I have been away
from the document delivery business for a few years now, but that's what I
remember. Hope it helps.
Elisabeth M. McKechnie, J.D., M.L.I.S.
Associate Librarian
UC Davis Law Library
(530) 752-3327
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