Help! I need the expertise of the computer geeks ASAP. I have a wonderful
problem to solve.

A private foundation which dedicates part of its resources to serving the
county where my museum is located has given us funds in the past.
Yesterday the foundation head called and asked if we had a project in
mind for funds this year because she wants to give us some funds.
(Incredible. This is one of those foundations with "give only to
pre-designated groups, and we are now one!)

We have 5,000+ glass negatives from a studio here a century ago. To date
I have gotten about 800-900 printed in a darkroom as contact prints. The
negatives are 8X10, 5X7, and 4X3. We have discussed creating a
stand-alone computer station which would be networked with the current
computers (2 IBM clones) and scan in the images in the collections. (We
also have a few hundred prints.) We would want the program to be read
only to the museum visitor, and  run a cable to the gift shop where a
laser printer could print images on acid free paper of images the visitor
wanted. (Do not see any copyright problem since the photographer, his
wife, and their sole child have all died, the child without any children.
The images were given to a local historian by the wife about 1960, no
paperwork. The local historians child gave the images to the museum and
we have the paper work.)

The computer guy at Office Depot says we may want a scanner which he has
seen advertised in magazines but which he does not carry. He feels that
without a separate light source we would not get good images from the
8X10s or the 5X7s.

What do "real" museums use? Ones which have thousands of images. Am I
restrict to printing in the darkroom, or is there a scanner which can
allow me to scan the photos directly into the computer.

I am planing to ask for a HP network laser printer, a computer station
with Windows XP, up-grade for the two Windows 98 computers to network
status, calculate a cost for running printer cable to the network
printer, Past Perfect software, perhaps PhotoShop, and what else.

The lady wants me to fax her maximum and minimum budgets on Monday. Of
course she does not expect me to know final budget figures, but the guy
at office depot said he would not have the professional level Windows we
would want.  He thought we would have to get that from someone like Dell
or HP or Gateway installed by them.

Do I want to contact the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and or Dell
computers as well?

I understand that a scanner which can copy print photos is not a problem
and that any Office Depot has would work for that. It is a light source
for the negatives that creates the problem.

Any clues?

Should I contact Eastman House or Amon Carter?

Thanks in advance for you assistance.

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