Hi, This is Marge Longwood, now Library Director in East Blue Hill; retired Presbyterian Minister who did some prison ministry and at one time was married to a Prosecuting Attorney who, at the onset of "Dementia-Alzheimer's type" was found by a man to whom he had ministered in the 70s and who decided he needed loans from my former husband.
There is a reason they are called "cons!"  I would not touch this project with the proverbial ten-foot pole!  "They" could do all kinds of creative things with the information in yearbooks, especially since it wouldn't take much to figure out where the people live!  Bad news!
 
> Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 11:54:32 -0400
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MELIBS-L] Has Anyone Worked With This Group?
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> Hi everyone,
> There has been a LOT of discussion about this group on an archival listserv
> to which I subscribe.
> The consensus is that it's not a great idea. I'll locate the direct quotes
> to share with the list, and folks can decide for themselves.
> -Renee
> 
> 
> On Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 11:29 AM, Cara Sawyer <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> > Hi All,
> >
> > It's Cara in Cherryfield. We were contacted by the below organization to
> > digitize our yearbooks. Has anyone worked with them or know if they are a
> > reputable company? It seems to be an offer that is too good to be
> > true...and we all know how that usually works out! :-p
> >
> > You can reply to me off list. Thanks!
> >
> > Cara E. Sawyer
> > Library Co-Director
> > Cherryfield Free Public Library
> > PO Box 121
> > 35 Main Street
> > Cherryfield, ME 04622
> > 207-546-4228
> > [log in to unmask]
> > http://www.cherryfield.lib.me.**us/ <http://www.cherryfield.lib.me.us/>
> >
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> >
> >
> > We are contacting you in regards to a FREE project we’re doing to digitize
> > the High-School yearbooks at all of the libraries in your state. The
> > program is called "The Yearbook Project", and it is sponsored by the
> > Records Conversion Department at OCI; as I previously stated…COMPLETELY
> > FREE. We even pay the S & H.
> >
> >
> >
> > The Yearbook Project came about after it was brought to our attention that
> > high schools and local libraries throughout Oklahoma were losing their
> > yearbooks. Some were being destroyed by natural disasters, and others were
> > being destroyed by people cutting images or pages out of them, or stealing
> > them. Once they are gone or damaged it is nearly impossible to replace them
> > and these yearbooks are irreplaceable because of their historical value
> > alone. Once these books are gone they are lost forever. The Records
> > Conversion and Digital Imaging departments also use this program as an
> > advertising tool to highlight the quality of work we do here at OCI.
> > There’s no obligation for our other services, we would just hope you keep
> > us in mind if you ever do need them.
> >
> >
> >
> > We decided to start a project where we could help preserve these books and
> > their historical content. After  beginning this process, we discovered it
> > was something that had gotten such an overwhelming response that we’ve
> > decided to expand the offering of this service to other states’ library
> > systems, such as your own.
> >
> >
> >
> > Our goal is to digitize and preserve as many high school yearbooks as
> > possible using our non-destructive scanning method. This ensures that the
> > yearbooks are not damaged and that they are returned in their original
> > condition. The yearbooks are scanned at 300 dpi and saved in a [jpeg]
> > format. Meaning, they are done with Publisher Quality so that libraries can
> > digitally reprint any books or if you like, just pages, from the DVD for
> > anyone who would like purchase a copy, or you can burn-off DVD’s and sell
> > them. This can been a good way to raise money for your library with Class
> > Reunions, Alumni Groups, Historical Societies, etc.
> >
> >
> >
> > After the yearbooks are scanned, they are returned to your library along
> > with a set of  DVD’s containing each yearbook. These DVD’s belong to the
> > library and you can then load it in your computer database for everyone to
> > access. In addition, if you would like to contact the area high schools and
> > add to your current collection, we can also provide a second set of DVD’s
> > to share with the schools (also free) and their books would be returned to
> > you. Just be sure to let us know which school(s) to include an extra set
> > for. The only thing needed to be done from your side is for you and/or your
> > staff to box them up (no more than 25-30 in a copier-paper size box,
> > please) tape them securely and make two inventory sheets, one for yourself
> > and one to be put in the box. You’ll then call us and let us know what day
> > you would like scheduled for pick-up and we will take care of the rest with
> > FED-EX. We will send you the shipping-labels via-email and the books will
> > be returned to you within 2-3 weeks on average. Whether you have only a few
> > or hundreds, we would be happy to be of service to you.
> >
> >
> >
> > OCI is a state agency located in Lexington, Oklahoma. Our Records
> > Conversion department has been in business for thirty (30) years and
> > consists of four areas; Data Entry, Digital Imaging, Image Review &
> > Verification, and Microfilm. We do records conversion for every single
> > state agency in Oklahoma. These include; the Department of Education,
> > Department of Human Services, Department of Labor, The Oklahoma Supreme
> > Court, and the Attorney General's Office, just to name a few.
> >
> >
> >
> > If you are interested in having your yearbooks converted into a digital
> > format, again at No Cost, please contact me at (405) 527-0833, between
> > the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., central time. If you would like to
> > visit our website it is www.ocisales.com. If you would like to view
> > sample yearbooks or read about Non-Destructive Scanning, click on the
> > following links: Click here to view yearbook examples or Non-Destructive
> > Scanning.
> >
> >
> >
> > Also, feel free to forward this email to any area Branches or Directors in
> > your Library System so that they may benefit from this offer as well.
> >
> >
> >
> > If you have any questions at all, please feel free to call me at
> > 405-527-0833, or you could e-mail me at  [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you for your time,
> >
> >                                                 Jeremy
> >
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Renée DesRoberts, MS
> Reference and Archives Librarian
> McArthur Public Library * Biddeford, Maine 04005
> www.mcarthurpubliclibrary.org
> www.biddeford.mainememory.net