Turning the Page with the CZUR Scanner

The Library and Museum Committee is excited to announce the purchase of a second CZUR scanner for the use of Lodges throughout the Grand Jurisdiction. The first scanner was purchased in 2021 to scan pages of the history of the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Oregon. The Grand Lodge of Oregon’s digital archives are now massive primarily because of this scanner. There is no way a regular scanner could keep up with this powerhouse called CZUR.

How is the CZUR different than regular flatbed scanners? After installing the software, the scanning of pages is controlled by a foot pedal which, once pressed, an immediate scan of the page is copied. There is no lifting of the flatbed scanner cover or moving the document. You do not have to stand or move from your computer to use the scanner. You sit and press the foot pedal. That is it!

To put the process into perspective: A document or book can be scanned with a regular scanner, but the difference with using the CZUR scanner is that your hands are free to turn pages, increasing the scanning speed by double or more. The CZUR scanner also uses recognition software that allows scanning of the spine curve portion of an open book as a flat document creating two pages simultaneously.

During a recent historical records trip to Seaport Lodge No. 7 in Astoria, 1,200 pages of minutes were scanned in five hours (which is 240 pages an hour.) I can guarantee that scanning 1,200 pages with a regular scanner would take days instead of hours.

A backup of your Lodge’s minutes and history should be a priority for all Lodges, and that is why the Library and Museum Committee would like to loan the CZUR scanner to Lodges in this jurisdiction. In return, the Richmond Memorial Library and Museum would appreciate your Lodge sharing the scanned documents to be included with the history of the Grand Lodge of Oregon. Sharing your Lodge’s scanned pages will help future researchers who visit the archives of the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Oregon.

We are all a part of the same history which makes up this Grand Jurisdiction. Let’s begin the copying and sharing of our histories.

This scanner can be mailed to Lodges located all around the state with return postage included. For more information, please contact your Library and Museum Committee at jedwards@oregonfreemasonry. com

Fraternally, W.B. Johnny J. Edwards, Grand Historian and Library and Museum Chairman