The electro-photography machine, invented by Chester Carlson in 1937 was patented in 1940 and began its commercial success in the 1950s when the Haloid Company began selling the machines to the general public. The Xerox machine (the name it was sold under by the Haloid company in the 1950s, known today as photocopier)quickly caught on in not only the business world but the library world for its time-saving features.

The Xerox machine works using a method of dry photocopying. A beam of light is shone on the original item (such as a page from a book or a newspaper) and the light reflects off of the white area onto a photosensitive plate that has is electrically charged. The areas struck by the light are neutralized and those areas that have not been struck by lights are still charged which allows the toner (a plastic powder) to stick to them. A piece of paper is then placed between the charged plate with the toner and another charged plated causing the toner to attach itself to the paper where it is permanently fused with heat. A Xerox machine provides an almost perfect copy of black and white text and a reasonable copy of a grayscale picture or photo.

The ability to create an almost exact replica of any paper item, such as newspapers, books, pamphlets, maps, magazines, etc. in seconds made the Xerox machine popular, especially when combined with its affordability. Libraries across the USA and around the world, both public and academic, quickly purchased Xerox machines to be used by the library staff and patrons alike. In fact almost any library you walk into today will have photocopying machine in it. The Xerox machine allowed patrons to quickly and easily copy information that they needed, which made academic research as well as every-day activities easier. It also allowed library professionals to share material and information much more easily and affordably.

back to 1940s

sources:

Norman D. Stevens, "Library Equipment" in Wayne A. Wiegnad and Dondald G. Davis, eds. Enclyclopedia of Library History (New York: Garland, 1994), 358-363.

Author not available, XEROGRAPHY., The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2006

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/x/xerograp.asp

A. Dinsdale, "Chester F. Carlson, Inventor of Xerography - A biography," Photographic Science and Engineering, vol. 7, 1963, p. 1-4.

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?PAGE=467