More than two dozen (out of more than
320) of the USSBS reports are now available as
high-quality electronic editions. They are identified by
links in the main listing. They are supplied as electronic files in PDF form,
to be downloaded (with an option to get a backup CD). They may be printed out to make a high quality printed copy or
read on screen -- or both.
This is a by-product of some research
efforts of mine in which I drew on some of the USSBS
reports. I discovered that many of the original printed
reports were badly affected by wartime restrictions on
paper as well as by poor print quality and are now
rapidly becoming unreadable. Most of the microfilm
copies are marginally readable at best -- many scarcely
at all -- and do not adequately reproduce the graphics
that are a critical part of many reports. In many cases
imperfections in the microfilm obscure critical
numerical data. I undertook to make high-quality
electronic copies of the reports I worked with, thus
keeping them available for future research. I have
placed copies with some research libraries and welcome
inquiries from others.
Because these are largely a byproduct
of my own research they are concentrated in the areas of
my own needs. I am not able to make electronic versions
of additional reports to meet the needs of others,
unfortunately.
Great care has been taken in the production of these new
digital editions and in most respects they are better than the originals.
I sell them to individual researchers at prices that
cover my costs and provide a modest return on the
considerable time I invested in making them.
Ordering and download procedure.
In the lists of reports some titles are links which open
entries describing the individual report and offering
the opportunity to purchase a copy. The download service
is hosted by DreamHost.com, which collects the price
(via credit card or PayPal account), subtracts their
service fees, and forwards the balance to my account.
The report is available for download immediately upon
payment and remains available to you permanently
thereafter.
Printed copies.
I do not sell printed copies -- only electronic copies. It is much more economical for you to print your own copy, or to have it printed by a local service. The result will be a copy that will be better in quality than any of the print-on-demand copies (which are printed from low-quality microfilm masters), and usually less expensive even when the cost of the
electronic copy is figured in. (Bear in mind, however, if cost is the primary consideration, that it
may be cheapest of all to borrow a copy from a library and make a photocopy, although this may not produce very satisfactory results for large or color graphics.)
CDs
If you would like to have your
report(s) on a CD, the easiest way is to download the
file and burn the CD yourself. If for some reason this
is not practical for you I can prepare and send a CD.
The charge for this is $15 (U.S. dollars), which
includes the cost of shipping (via U.S. Priority Mail)
to domestic or military U.S. addresses.
For foreign customers there will be an
added surcharge to cover the cost of postage.
This is a one-person operation and sometimes there may be a delay of a day or two due to absences, but ordinarily orders are shipped within two business days.
Ordering and payment:
If you do require a CD, contact me at
williamdoneil@ussbs.com and I will invoice you via
PayPal. All transactions are by PayPal. You do not have to hold a PayPal account to order, and you will have a choice of several payment means, including by ordinary credit card. All prices are stated in U.S. dollars; PayPal will do any necessary currency conversions.
In
case of problems: All CDs are checked before shipping. If you believe that your CD is defective, contact
me at
williamdoneil@ussbs.com. If it proves necessary,
I will replace a defective CD, but
no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
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Updated July 2008