Caul Questionnaire Microform Reader Printers (Du 23/1/03)

CAUL QUESTIONNAIRE – MICROFORM READER PRINTERS (DU 23/1/03)

1.How many microform reader-printers do you make available to the public in your campus libs? / 2. Are you satisfied with their performance? [i.e. optimal useability, minimal service calls] / 3. If the answer to (2) is YES, please specify the make and model, and the year of purchase.
Adelaide Uni / 3 in total / Happy with performance of newest machine, purchased 2001, which is reliable and efficient, but performance drops off and maintenance does increase when machines older. / Newest machine (Purchased 2001) Canon MS400 Digital Scanner, with AC100R Film Carrier and FP 250 Laser Printer
ANU / 10 in total / Yes, Performance is very good with the 5 newer ones we have.
Performance with the 5 older ones we have is satisfactory. / Canon microfilm scanners film/fiche, 4 Cannon 400 and 1 Cannon 500. Year of purchase 2000 = 5
Plus 5 Minolta reader printers 605 Z film only. Year of purchase 1996 (Approximately)
Bond Uni / 4 / No. Equipment breakdowns, lack of spare parts and lack of service people with appropriate expertise are major issues / Three of the readers are owned by Unicard.They are Minolta RP605Z
Central Queensland Uni / 2 only available for use by clients including public. (1 may be limited to CQU use if required) / Generally yes. We have occasional problems caused by rough use rather than faulty machines. So far repairs have been quickly carried out. / Ours are both Canon.
One is more than 6 years old (unable to be more specific) and carries the following numbers:
M31016 CS5131N
The second is c.1998 M31020 N118 CS6203N. This one operates through a computer.
Charles Sturt Uni / 12 in total / They are all different makes and models. Some are microfilm only, some microfiche only. On the whole we are more satisfied with the microfilm only machines. Performance has deteriorated since purchase in most cases. We only recommend two makes/models: see over. / Minolta RP6037 1996; Canon MP90 1996/1998
Deakin Uni / 14 in total / No, performance has deteriorated since purchase. Planning to begin replacement in 2003. / Not applicable (purchased in 1995/96)
Flinders Uni / 6 / Our old Minolta machines have been good but are reaching the end of their life, we purchased the first new machine for some years at the end of 2002 to replace one machine / Canon MS400 with FP250 printer - purchased Dec 2002
Griffith Uni / 8 / Yes / Canon Micro 400's purchased '99, '00 & '01. Micro 500's purchased '02 & '03
James Cook Uni / 6 / Yes / Canon MS400s, purchased 1998 and later
Latrobe Uni / 7 in total / Bundoora - NO. The 3 machines at the main campus Library are heavily used and are beginning to cause problems. They are all first generation Canon digital microform scanners and we have found lately that they are not well supported with replacement parts, e.g lenses. We also now require a machine which provides more output options other than simply printing, particularly for large historical research projects. We intend to replace the machines as funds allow.
Murdoch Uni / 6 / NO -Most unsatisfied with cost, service and downtime.MU is finding these to be a major problem and we are reviewing our requirements and alternative methods of delivery. I would be interested in the results of your survey.
Northern Territory Uni / 1 / Yes / Cannon Microfilm Scanner M31019- September 1998
Queensland Uni of Tech / There are 10 microfilm/fiche reader printers available to the public. / No, the equipment is beyond its used by date. Copy quality is poor as compared to that available from digital technology. Technical support and spare parts is difficult to obtain. / The most recent purchase was from Canon Model MP 100 microfilm/fiche digital printer. Canon now have a Model MP 500 available
Microfilm has dropped off dramatically in the past few years. Usage figure show a copy count of 220,000 in 1997 and 41,000 in 2002. Therefore, SCPS has not been actively replacing it microfilm equipment. There are currently 10 units spread across four sites with the majority at KG. Demand for microfilm is being closely monitored and as funds become available upgrades will move to a total digital scanner device.
Southern Cross Uni / 3 / Yes, generally, performance is OK although the build and quality of assembly is not as robust or user hardened as we would like / Canon Microfilm Scanner 400 M31019, 1999-2000
Swinburne Uni of Tech / 5 at Hawthorn, 1 at Lilydale / Older models have not been very reliable and repairs are costly. Have 2 newer models approximately 2-3 years old which are satisfactory. / Minolta RP605Z x 2 with one printer - SP2000/3000 purchased 21/6/00
Uni of Melbourne / 14 (see next answer) / (There is currently some consolidation of microform collections towards a central location (The Baillieu Library) and some branches are disposing of equipment.)
No. Service has deteriorated due to the age of some of the machines. In the Baillieu Library some machines have been replaced while others are pending replacement subject to funding.
Uni of Newcastle / Auchmuty - 8, Huxley - 2, City- 1, Central Coast - 1 / Performance varies depending on the age of the units. Most approx. 10 year+ No longer under maintenance contract, but repaired as needed which is fairly regularly.
Uni of New England / 3 in total / Initially yes but performance has deteriorated in the past couple of years with a significant increase in maintenance. We are currently planning a replacement programme. / not applicable purchased in 1995
Uni of Sunshine Coast / 0 - none of our collections are in microform
Uni of Queensland / 9 in total,
(6 in Fryer, 1 in ARMUS, 1 at Gatton and 1 in Biological Sciences Library) / Some Ok some not. Reports from each branch follow.
UQ Fryer Canon (1998). These units are scanner readers that send to a PC and then print on a network printer. There have been complaints about the slowness, and quality of copy, although this has improved since the complete overhaul and cleaning of the scanners.
Biol Sciences Library - Minolta(1991) The microform reader printer at BSL receives infrequent use. It is awkward to use and not easy to change from microfiche to microfilm/vice versa.
We required several service calls in 2002 which seems a lot given the small amount of use the machine receives. When the reader/printer is actually working the quality of the prints is good.
ARMUS 1 unit Xerox (1989). No complaints about performance
Gatton 1 unit Minolta (1995). Gattons prints out OK but only if you select the darkest print option. The end results of the printout more often than not depend on the quality of the Microfiche that is being copied as they are usually very poor quality. / Not applicable (purchased in 1995/96)
Uni of Tech, Sydney / 8 in total. 4 at our City Cam Lib, 3 at our Kuring-gai Cam Lib and 1 at our Gore Hill Cam Lib / There are issues with the quality of the prints but sometimes this is to do with the quality of the microform itself. / They are all Minolta RP603Z and I cannot confirm the purchase date but the instruction manual is dates 1994
Uni of Western Australia / 3 - Located in the Scholars Centre. / No, we have had a number of problems with these machines since purchase.One reader printer will be replaced with a digital microfiche/
film scanner sometimein 2003. / Not applicable (one purchased in 96 and the other two in 99).
Uni of Western Sydney / 8 in total / No, performance has deteriorated since purchases made 10+ years ago. Number of service calls are low, but expensive. Usage is low, but still seen as an 'essential' service. No plans to replace as service call costs are manageable compared to replacement costs. / N/A
Uni of Wollongong / Because we are about to install two new microfilm reader printers I will reply more generally. We have had 5 Canon reader printers for at least 5 - 6 six years. They have been OK but the cost of toners has always been a bone of contention. We were looking for newer and if possible, simpler units. We had Canon come and demonstrate a new unit for us before committing to purchase. I don't know that we will ever achieve a simpler solution, however the printing issue will be resoled with these new ones. We have purchased two Canon MS500 reader printers which connect to a computer and then to our print stations, which are used for all our printing throughout the Library. The distributor, who says she is the main distributor for Australia, is Vanessa Hill
Vic Uni of Technology / Victoria University of Technology has 12 campus libraries, and a 13th planned to accompany the new law school [Queen Street]. Other than for Queen Street, there is one microfiche reader/printer available for client use at the VU Werribee campus library, however its operation is unsatisfactory. About half the campus libraries originally had reader/printers when they were established, however, as the machines became unserviceable, they were discarded and not replaced because of the expense of the machines compared with the low demand [declining use of microfiche] and poor performance that we experienced with the machines. Two microfilm/fiche printer readers have been purchased for the law school to access the HEIN collection. Of these two, one is currently operating and available to public at the Footscray Park campus library, the other is in storage to be transferred to Queen Street this year. No service calls have been made and our law librarian is satisfied with the performance of the machine.
One at the Footscray Park campus library [purchased recently specifically for access to law school materials] One at the Werribee campus library. / Yes, machine at Fts Pk is easy to use, and has had no service calls [but then it is only a little over a year old with a one-year warranty]
No, the machine at Werribee is unsatisfactory. / Details of the machine at Fts Pk:
Minolta MS 6000 X 2 with universal carrier ( for fiche & film)
1 Laser printer Minolta MSP 3000 , Purchased 2001
the product came only with a 90 day warranty - to extend the cover on an annual basis would have cost another A$1500 [annual fee]
Victoria Uni of Wellington / 2 in total / Generally yes, although the new digital scanning models that allow internet connection and emailing of scanned images would be a popular additionalfeature. Performance has been quite consistent sincesince purchase. Service call frequency has remained fairly constant over the last five years. / a) Minolta RP607z Microfilm.fiche reader-printer. Purchased January 1996.
b) Minolta RP 600z microfiche reader-printer. Purchased April 2000 (second hand, reconditioned)
Uni of Auckland / 8 / Yes / 3x Canon PC printer80s purchased in 1980s (letting these live out their life and replacing withleased machines)
1x MS-3000 Minolta microform scanner, leasedJune 2000
2x SP3000 Minolta Digital microfilm reader printers, leased July 2000
1x MS3000Minolta Microtext scanner, leased October 2000
1x PS7000 Minolta Microtext scanner, leased December 2001

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Last printed 12/02/2003 2:55 PM