The Boston Globe on the Leventhal Map Center

A short article in today’s Boston Globe about the web site of Boston Public Library’s Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, which launched last fall. The interesting thing, though, is this bit about how maps are scanned for the site:

To achieve that level of resolution, the maps and atlases are laid out on a sort of reverse air-hockey table that sucks air instead of blowing it, pulling the documents flat, said Thomas Blake, director of the library’s digital imaging lab. Technicians then focus a digital camera 10-times more powerful than most consumer models and capture an 88-megapixel image.

Suddenly my new digital SLR doesn’t look so hot. Via MapHist.

Previously: Leventhal Map Center Web Site Launches.

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