Challenges in Microimage Publishing.

Microimage systems offer far greater potential for the dissemination of knowledge publishing than has yet been utilized. In spite of their tremendous advantages, general use of microimage systems has not materialized, even though they have been possible in a technical sense for at least 30 years. In addition to present archival uses, microforms should be able to supply the average person's everyday reading needs - books, current periodicals and possibly even newspapers. Among the many advantages may be cited (1) the tremendous saving in space and storage facilities for the public library, for one's personal library and for the publisher, (2) the greatly increased facility for transportation, and (3) the ready accessibility of items which can be indexed easily. A study of the psychophysics of microimage use suggests that this lag between potential and realization results primarily from insufficient attention to the comfort and preferences of the users of the reading devices. The reading situation has been examined in detail, specifications for an acceptable viewer are proposed, and an experimental reading device incorporating these specifications has been designed and built.