Fall Inside NIRMA Issue

ecords and duplicate records were added to the plants.”
Walt continues, “Much later, IBM data cards [cards with
punch data and no microfilm] were used to catalog the
documents within each plant. The microfilm rolls
containing the actual document images that would then
need to be pulled from storage and the researchers
would use viewers to search the records. The entire
records
pulling
process was
manual.”
Walt
helped to
develop a
mounting
device which
would a)
increase the
ability for
those within
the title
plants to
make their
own aperture
cards and b)
facilitate
faster
records
research by
condensing
all
Copy of the First American newsletter
announcing Walt’s invention of the
aperture card creating machine.
information onto one media, requiring fewer steps to
access critical information. The machine was created in a
shop in Costa Mesa, CA and punched a rectangular hole
in the data card the size of a 35 mm film exposure. The
microfilm was then viewed and cut to be attached within
the hole or aperture of the card. The film was then
secured it into the card with transparent Mylar adhesive
tape.”
Despite some testing and alterations to the mylar
taping process, Walt’s concept stayed relatively the same
throughout its use. The card design was patented and
used by First American for many years. A First American
newsletter published in May 1963 notes, "For the first
time, users are able to make their own aperture cards on
demand...The use of which results in large savings in
engineering man hours."
Many such mounting devices were made available in
the years following, but to our knowledge Walt’s design
was the first.
From 1960 to 2023
Crowley discontinued our aperture card creation
services (formerly produced by our UK facility,
previously known as Wicks and Wilson, Ltd.*) a few
years back. Our aperture card creation services likely did
not use Walt's design, nevertheless, we appreciate that
someone with such a rich contribution to the media’s
history contacted the Crowley team for help and we
happily sent him a sample aperture card.
While we no longer create aperture cards, Crowley
still work intimately with the media both in
manufacturing aperture card scanners and capturing
them in our Digitization Services bureau. Crowley's
latest aperture card scanner, the C400 Advanced, has
made scanning this media an easier process while
creating even higher image quality than ever before.
Something to Call Home About: The
New C400 Advanced
Just as iPhones
graduate to the
next generation of
technology, so do
Crowley’s aperture
card scanners.
Released in late
2022, the C400
Advanced is the
latest generation
of aperture card
scanner and
utilizes what users
love about the
C400 and evolves
it to the next level
of efficiency,
quality and ease.
The Crowley C400 Advanced
aperture card scanner, released
to market in late 2022.
Efficient: In addition to capturing both film and
punch data simultaneously at high speeds (a key feature
on the C400 as well), the C400 Advanced holds even
larger batches of aperture cards (up to 300 cards) for
automatic loading, scanning and unloading. These
production features, paired with the scanner’s ability to
output multiple end-use files from a single scan,
contribute to the C400 Advanced impressive efficiency
for records managers. The scanner’s batch scanning
mode allows operators to use multiple scanners at once
for even more performance.
Continued on page 14.
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