You may want to contact a university library that does
Interlibrary-Loan, also known as ILL. I used to work in that department
and they would use this huge machine to make digital copies of
old/fragile books and oversized documents. I think the program was
ARIEL. I just did a quick search for a scanner that has the
specifications you may need and came up with the PS 7000 scanner from
Minolta. I am sure there are lots of different ones out there, but at
least this is a starting point. 

Meredith

Date:    Tue, 4 Jan 2005 18:53:56 EST
From:    David Lewias <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Looking for scanner to scan books face up

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Kathy -- 

The Morton Arboretum (here IL) scans a large number of dried plant
specimens 
and needed the same device as you described.   When they couldn't find 
anything commercially available they created a solution in-house!   They
built an 
ingenious little stand (four legs) that literally holds their scanner
upside down 
above their desktop.   They then place the plant specimen on the
scanners 
lid, hold the lid "up" (closed) with some bungie-type cords, and "vola!"
Press 
the scan button.   -- Apparently scanners will work just fine
upside-down -- 
who-woulda-think-it!?   *gin*

Although it's a nifty idea, (and one in which I'm eager to try with my
own 
scanner when digitizing large fragile maps) -- it seems to me, this
won't help 
much with the "broken binding" issues.   What about using a digital
camera and 
a copy-stand?

- David -
David Lewis, Curator
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
www.AuroraRegionalFireMuseum.org

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