While attending the May 4-6 conference about piano rolls held at
Cornell University, I subsequently spent considerable time with one
of the main people behind the Stanford piano roll project.

First, I can report that the aim is very much to make the rolls and
related literature accessible through a website.  At this stage,
Stanford is developing an imaging system that will capture images of
the rolls, including words and artwork, unlike traditional scanning
methods that only capture perforation data.

I am involved with Stanford by virtue of the MIDI files I have produced
through my roll reading apparatus, and it is likely these files will
form part of the content associated with the proposed website.  It is
hoped to have a test website up and running, perhaps this year, that
will allow people to access roll images, MIDI files, articles relevant
to particular rolls and so forth.  Plans are still in development, but
the intent is certainly there.

Like all universities, Stanford has limited human resources and limited
financial support.  A number of students from various departments are
involved in developing relevant hardware and software, and there is no
doubt in my mind that the project is alive and well.  It is simply a
large undertaking with limited resources that mean the project will
take time.  However, in my opinion, it will be a very worthwhile
outcome for all of us who are interested in piano rolls.

Peter Phillips
Sydney