Larry -- here's your first chance to improve RoD customer service. I was in the office yesterday and thought everything was great -- the people were helpful and things were accessible. However, when I asked if the public could use digital cameras to photograph documents, I got some hemming and hawing generally in the negative.

As it was explained to me, statute requires that the county charge patrons if THE COUNTY is making reproductions, but the idea of patrons' digital cameras was ambiguous. The staff person said your predecessor thought all patrons should pay for reproductions, but couldn't/didn't offer an explanation.

Digital imagery, as you know, is becoming the document reproduction method of choice for historians working in archives, because it is less expensive than photocopying for those who do research regularly. In addition, it is non-destructive for the documents (provided no flash is used in some cases).

In the interests of being consumer-friendly, environmentally friendly, and all-around reasonable, please consider allowing patrons to use their own digital cameras for free (and feel free to prohibit flashes). I can be contacted at lwinling(AT)umich.edu if you have any questions or comments. Thanks.