We are a small non-profit organisation based in the Midlands of the United Kingdom.

We have been scanning local history books and directories since mid-2003. It started because of a chance comment from an archivist on the impossibility of managing a local history library on a tight budget split across 3 locations. Creating digital copies and making them available on the internet seemed like the obvious answer. It has other advantages too:-

• helps to conserve the archives (through reducing wear and tear on originals by enabling digital copies to be viewed)
• creates a searchable archives (through using optical character recognition to generate indexes)
• provides wider access to the archives (by sharing the digital images via the internet)

A little research revealed that to achieve this we needed the best equipment. Flatbed scanners destroy books simply because any book has to be turned over as many times as there are pages in the book. We use two scanners: the Bookeye scanner from ImageWare Gmbh, and the BookDrive DIY from Atiz.  Both produce  excellent quality images without damaging the books.

We have now scanned #no# books, so we have a substantial Midlands local history library available for you to view. We have tried to create indexes and search mechanisms to enable you to find exactly what you are looking for, and will continue to refine our approach. This project is as much about creating useable historical data for our region as it is about creating images of the books - hence the title of our company : Midlands Historical Data.

You can contact us in a variety of ways:-

• by Email: (admin@midlandshistoricaldata.org)
• by ordinary mail: 199 Needlers End Lane, Balsall Common, West Midlands, CV7 7AA
• by telephone: Temporarily unavailable - reinstatement 1st March 2025

Tony Abrahams

Bookeye scanner

BookDrive DIY scanner