Microfilm Newsletter 01-1970 006

P.O. Box 215It / Grand Central Station / New York City, New York / 1 0 0 1 7 / Tel: (212) MU 7-0890 January, 1970

1970: Reaching for 500? The currently known worldwide total of microfilm equipment manufacturers and commercial micropublishers is 276 (186 US., 90 overseas -- not including microfilm or COM service bureaus) according to a compilation being prepared by MN for publication in 1970.

Impressive upward movement in terms of companies selling equipment or package systems points toward the decade truly being the Soaring Seventies for microfilm.

ASSOCIATIONS/MEETINGS/SEMINARS. National Microfilm Association; At press­ time, nine industry leaders delivering presentations on microfilm in the 60s and 70s at NMA's Mid-Winter meeting (San Diego, Hilton Inn, Jan 15-16)....

NMA selects "Infographics" as theme of 19th annual convention (S.F., April 28May 1). Luncheon speaker, Joseph C. Wilson, Xerox board chairman. Preliminary program outline available from NMA, P.O. Box 386, Annapolis, Md. 21404. Program chairman Peter Scott, M.I.T., stresses final date for submission of papers is Feb. 20. Any topic related to micrographic systems is eligible. Details from Scott at M.I.T., Room 14-031, Cambridge, Mass. 02139.

Upcoming. Control Data Corp's Institute for Advanced Technology offers introductory 3-day seminars on "Microfilm Information Systems" in Los Angeles (Sheraton-West Hotel, Jan.28-30), New York (Summit Hotel, Feb. 18-20) and Minneapolis (Sheraton-Ritz, March 11-13). Contact IAT, 5272 River Rd., Washington, D.C. 20016. $250 registration..... Advanced Management Research's 3-day microfilm course for management hits Chicago this month (Knickerbocker Hotel, Jan. 26-28), then Los Angeles (Century Plaza, Feb. 16-18).

Registra­ tion $350. Contact AMR, 280 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017....

Metropolitan NY chapter, Association of Records Executives and Administrators. holds one-day "Vital Records Protection Programs Workshop".... Info-Expo 70, 2nd annual meeting of Information Industry Association, set for Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C. March 23-25. Exhibits data from Trade Associates Inc. 5151 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.; meeting data from IIA, 1025 15th St., NW, Washington, D. C.; 20005.... annual National Automation Conference of American Bankers Association set for S.F. (Masonic Temple, April 26-29).

Primarily EDP, but updates bankers on progress in COM.... 7th Annual National Information Retrieval Colloquium, will highlight Social Impact of Infor­ mation Retrieval Systems" at Philadelphia's Sheraton Hotel, May 7-8. Contact Philip Bagley, Pres., Information Engineering, 3401 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa.... Irene Swenson, program chairman, 1970 American Records Management Assn.

Contents Worldwide Mfr. Total Tops 275...... 1 Association/Meetings/Seminars........1 COM Roundup.......................... 2 International Scene..................2

People.......................... 2 Magazine Digest.................3 Micro-Dots (IndustryNotes)..... 4 Selected MicrofilmStocks....... 4

Not to be reproduced without the permission of The Microfilm Newsletter, Inc.

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convention seeks microfilm papers, "Our program must include and emphasize micrographics, automation and why, how, when we can apply these techniques to records management." Contact her at TRW Systems, 1 Space Park, Redondo Beach, Calif. 90278.

COM ROUNDUP: 1969 ends with burst of products. A disposable cartridge which eliminates blackout in loading COM cameras revealed by Eastman Kodak. Corn-Pack cartridges hold 400' of 16mm Dacomatic A film. Available this month....

Microform Data Systems, new firm (Palo Alto, Calif.), shows Minidex system for large data processing users. Puts more than 95,000 lines of output on single 6" Ultrastrip which is read in manual or auto reader. Ultrastrip created by reducing standard COM output optically.... Graphics Div., Computer Industries announces new COM Printer/Plotter system that handles roll or fiche formats, prints and plots at speeds up to 200 pages a minute, offers simultaneous paper and film output.... Stromberg DatagraphiX brings out three new 4440 accessories at year-end: expanded character set which offers upper and lower case character capability; Line Print Simulator that allows 4440 users to process IBM 360generated tapes without any program modification or additional run time; OnLine Interface for IBM System 360.

Micro-bytes. Deibold Group Inc, forecasts 18,000 computers shipped in 1970, bringing total to 90,000 in use by year-end, to 160,000 by 1975. Notes growth of peripheral and terminal equipment (including COM) and projects industry and related sales of $27 billion-plus within five years.... American Bankers' National Automation Conference (see page 1) gives top EDP-microfilm specialists at nation's 15,000 banks chance to update themselves on COM applications in their field.... Four former DatagraphiX employees organize own firm, Micro Image Corp. First product, Micra 210 fiche reader in prototype, with produc­ tion hoped for June. To sell for under $100. Company anticipates additional products every 6-8 months, working up to a COM recorder in 3 years.

North of the border. A select group of 110 executives representing major business, industry, and government in western Canada became first such group in country to be introduced to COM. Occasion was 1-day seminar on "Management ' Use of Computerfilm" conducted by Micro Graphics Ltd. at Winnipeg's International Inn. Seminar is first in a series planned by MG for Canada and northern U.S. INTERNATIONAL SCENE: Making IMC Exhibition Global. Recent International Micrographic Congress (Frankfurt) supposed to be worldwide, yet exhibits were dominated by European mfrs (including continental subsidiaries or affiliates of U.S. majors).

Only independent U.S. company to exhibit was Atlantic Microfilm; only Japanese independent was Hirakawa Kogyosha. Potential in European market immense and barely tapped--example, West German market saturation estimated at only 2.5% of potential. Hundreds of smaller U.S., Japanese companies missed chance; IMC is only way for European users to learn of smaller companies' products. Next IMC--scheduled for Fall 1971 in Washington, D.C.--offers a chance to make up, particularly for u.S. concerns.

Start planning now.

PEOPLE: Richard J. Powers becomes president and chief executive officer, Information Handling Services, Denver, Colorado as Richard H. O'Brien moves up to chairman.... Joseph E. Eichberger becomes president, EXTEK Microsystems.... William F. Born named VP-General Manager, Image Systems, Culver City, Calif., was VP-marketing.... Van B. Phillips to assistant VP, Eastman Kodak, was sales manager-business systems group.... industry mourns loss of Mrs. Mildred Puddington, president Showcase Corp. — only woman

-3executive in micro-publishing. She was an early advocate of microfilm as an active information management tool for her field (construction industry), and after 10 years' research created the Showcase Microfilm Library of building products information -- 300,000 construction plans from 3,200 companies in cartridge film available to architects, engineers, etc. Her pioneering efforts have paved way for other to follow, for example, Sweet's catalogs, now said to be contemplating move to microfilm. Mildred Puddington will be missed.

MICROFILM IN MAGAZINES;

A DIGEST OF WHO'S WRITING WHAT WHERE

Data Systems News (Dec.). Case history application of how Seattle First National Bank uses microfilm system to safeguard transfer of documents to and from a centralized data processing center in a statewide bank network.

Information & Records Management (December). Complete supplement on microfilm cameras, readers, reader-printers, lists 194 units. Also fourth COM section includes roundup of applications in credit field, recap on usage in engineering, and case studies at Union Carbide Corp.

IMC JOURNAL (#9). Post-convention report on IMC Frankfurt show features equip­ ment displayed by 29 companies around the world. Also review of global associa­ tion activity.

Metropolitan Computer News (Dec.). Joseph Peterson outlines the prerequisites for a qualified COM service bureau, suggesting what the user should look for.

MICROFILM & EDUCATION: A Thought In 1969 the New York Times (for NYT School Microfilm Collection), NCR (for PCMI Library Information System), 3M (for 3MImpress), others, spent considerable sums to advertise and promote library packages to secondary and college school levels. Laudable.

But perhaps what industry needs as much and immediately--to make faster strides in vital area--is a comprehensive survey of user attitudes, needs, survey that reaches students, and gets answers to such hard questions as: What manuscript pages were you reading? How long did it take to find them? How long to make your notes? What do you know about microfilm? Have you ever used it? What could you pay for hardcopy? MN has thoughts and suggestions for such a project and will be glad to work with industry reps in getting one underway.

IMIVHKn

P.O. Box 2 154 / Grand Central Station / New York, N. Y. / 1 0 0 1 7

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-4Micro-careers. As this issue went to press, Herb Angel, chairman, educational committee NMA and assistant archivist of U.S., expected to make a report at San Diego Mid-Winter session on steps for NMA to initiate. May propose holding info sessions at colleges to have younger industry members describe opportunities in sales, R&D, marketing. Objective: attract top-drawer talent to enter field by front door rather than traditional backdoor. MN heartily endorses idea.

MICRDOTS (Industry Notes): Atlanta Police Dept.'s automated microfilm ID system which matches latent fingerprints found at the scene of a crime with those on file in seconds wins second annual American Express Police Science Award.... Kleer-Vu Industries offers new technical sheet on copy cards and films used in .... Advanced Technology Corp. develops an 8mm flow camera, MFC-8, which combines camera and processing unit in one desktop machine.... introduction of Recordak's Data-Pak film has more than doubled ability of microfilm to compact records. 215* of new, 2.5 mil then base film go on standard 100' 16mm reel, enable 6,450 letter-size documents to be retained (24:1 ratio) opposed to 3,000 conventional 16 mm film.... Information & Records Management: Magazine publishes its second annual Filing Storage and Information Retrieval Guidebook late this month, to feature more than 30 different methods of housing microfilm.... Xerox/University Microfilms national advertising solving catalog problems and talking about selling systems (citing approach to Allis-Chalmers) rather than hardware, draws favorable industry comments, more important, user interest.

MARKET PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED MICROFILM STOCKS: as of January 7, 1970 1969- 70 American & New York Exchanges Traded High Last Low Bell & Howell Eastman Kodak (Recordak) General Dynamics (Stromberg) Itek Kleer-Vu Leasco Data 3M NCR University Computing Xerox

NYSE NYSE NYSE NYSE ASE NYSE NYSE NYSE NYSE NYSE

Over-The-Counter Quotations

Bid

Atlantic Microfilm Areata National Computer Microfilm DSI Systems General Computing Houston Fearless Image Systems Informational International

16% 44% 25 6 3/4 14 2 3/4 22 3/4 18%

80 83 3/8 49% 93 3/4 23 54 118% 162 3/4 111% 115

17% 45% 27 7% 16 3% 23% 20

56% 81 29 3/4 64 8 3/8 29 110 3/8 158 3/4 96 1/8 103 1/8 Bid

Asked Kalvar Keuffel & Esser Microfilm Unltd Microform Data Micromation Tech Realist

/j Mitchell M. Badler Publisher-Editor

50% 68 5/8 23 46% 7 22% 94 108 64% 85%

is

39 13% 2 1/8 24 3% 12%

9S

U s

Rodd S. Exelbert Research Associate

Asked 41 14% 2 5/8 25 3/4 4 13

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