Little Known Photostat Department Operates in Basement of Widener

Deep down in the basement of Widener, unknown to most undergraduates, is stowed away the Photostat Department of the Harvard College Library, which fills orders ranging from one page reproductions to the copying of entire books.

The department does work for anyone connected with the University, for outside institutions, and for people in the vicinity, provided they want only reproductions of something in the Library. During the period from July 1, 1942, to January 31, 1943, it accepted about 1550 orders.

Began 15 Years Age

Some fifteen years ago, the department had its beginning when a professor, feeling the need for just such a service, donated the necessary equipment. Since he was the department's founder and head, he reaped the profits, which were, at that time, very meager.

After approximately a year, the project folded, and the machinery lay idle in the Widener basement for two years before the Library took it over. To the-original machine, it has added three more, so that it now operates with four machines.

About seven years ago, the department started doing microstats. Starting with a second hand Leica camera, which had to be installed in a specially built frame-work to hold it, in place while in action, the work has grown in equipment to two automatic cameras which hold in hundred feet of firm as compared to the Leica's 35 frames.

Although it is necessary to run microstats through a projector to see them in any worthwhile size, still they have the advantage of being much less costly than regular photostats. For instance, a microstats of a hundred page book, which by photostatic reproduction, would cost about 22 dollars, is only two dollars.

Math Theses Copled

The department is under the leadership now of Mr. Gookin, a genial old man who reveals that the men are now busily tied up shooting pictures of upwards of a hundred mathematics Ph.D. theses to be filled for the American Mathematical Society.

Recently, the department has had less orders to copy theses, and more for the reproduction of birth certificates and transcripts of records, for men bound for the service of Uncle Sam.

Because of the shortage of labor, orders are not being filled quite as speedily as formerly, so anyone whose order is not a rush, might have to wait a while before his photostats are ready.

Another service performed is that of supplying photostats of pages of rare books in the Harvard Library, which are missing in other copies. Also, many other libraries are putting, their valuable volumes in safe storage for the duration, and want microstats to replace them in their absence.