Digital imaging system arriving at libraries

Thursday, Jan. 8, 1998 | 10:45 a.m.

Las Vegas libraries will soon be able to provide residents with state-of-the-art video technology.

On Wednesday, the Vivitar Corp. donated 12 "Home Digital Imaging Studios" to the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.

Each of the district's 12 urban branches will get its own $1,200 studio system.

Library patrons can use the studios to create their own calendars and greeting cards, design newsletters, dress up reports, send photos on the Internet, and even have a conversation with someone anywhere in the world complete with a live image of that person on the studio's color monitor.

"We're very excited," said Karen Bramwell, who handles public relations for the library district.

Each studio consists of a digital camera, color scanner, color monitor, photo printer and a motion picture phone (MPP). The MPP includes a microphone and tiny camera eye mounted atop the monitor through which the user's image and voice can be captured and sent to a compatible system elsewhere in the world.

A studio set-up looks like little more than a computer system spread across a tabletop, yet in itself has virtually the same capabilities as a working photo studio, Vivitar officials say.

All of the technology will be free and available for public use.

Over the next few weeks, the 12 library locations will establish Home Digital Imaging Studios on site. It will take perhaps a few weeks for the library district to establish policies governing the studios and to get them set up for use.

The libraries plan to place the studios close to Internet-access locations, Bramwell said. Use of the studios will be regulated in a manner similar to Internet access.

The Vivitar Corp. said it decided to donate the equipment as a means of supporting the community that is so generous during COMDEX and the Consumer Electronics Show, which is ongoing this week. This donation also may act as a test for future community programs sponsored by Vivitar in other locations.

Vivitar Corp. will be giving demonstrations of its studios at its booth at the CES show this week.