Several recent posts and MBSI articles have discussed the issue of
making historic documents available, some stating that the scanning is
not the problem, but rather the distribution and making the materials
searchable.  I'd hope that it would not be necessary to re-invent this
particular wheel.

Various organizations, Google as a prime example, have digitization and
publication (with fairly sophisticated search capability) of virtually
everything as a goal.  I'd suggest that those who want to make the
information available look into partnering with the Google library
project or one of the other mass digitization projects.  I have a hard
time imagining they would turn down already digitized material with a
demonstrated community of interest.

At least for materials published prior to 1923 (and therefore in the
public domain) this seems an ideal way to make them universally available
without the need for an individual or society to maintain and pay for a
dedicated server.  As for the rest, please write your congress-critter
the next time the "Mickey Mouse Copyright Protection Act" comes up for
renewal to plead for some treatment of long out-of-print and abandoned
materials more sensibly than another indiscriminate blanket extension
of copyright term.

Cheers!
Roger Wiegand
http://www.carouselorgan.com/