Would not high resolution photography of those images suffice?
dr

> From: [log in to unmask]
> Reply-To: "A LISTSERV list for discussions pertaining to New York State
> history." <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 21:01:41 EST
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Cross post from a hard-copy discarder
>
> A central issue, that is, the original issue, in saving the originals of old
> crumbling, disintegrating newspapers after microfilming is the value of the
> illustrations.  The only "originals" of many important photographs are the
> grainy, screened versions that were printed in the newspapers.  These
> reproduce TERRIBLY from microfilm.  Granted that many of the photos, because
> they are printed on brittle, crumbling, yellow paper are already lost, those
> that may have survived should be preserved.  These crumbling newspapers just
> need to be locked up and not handled until we have proper technology to deal
> with them, like many of our archeological sites.  That was my original point.
>