Atherton Seidell and the Photoduplication of Library Material

Atherton Seidell was a pioneer in the use of photoduplication as a means of scientific communication. Through a series of seminal articles in Science in the 1930s and 194Os, Seidell established a theoretical justification for the use of microfilms as a means of facilitating scientific information exchange. Seidell himself was an accomplished chemist, and he based his arguments on his perceptions as a scientist of the information needs of the scientific community. Through his involvement with microfilming in lieu of interlibrary loan at the three national libraries, Seidell attempted to put his ideas into practice. In particular he championed free photoduplication of library materials as both a natural extension of library services to patrons at a distance and as a tremendous boon to science. His attempts to promote microfilms in library were for the most part unsuccessful, however, because librarians approached information needs from a different perspective.