What a delight to view actual images of two federal censuses of a Missouri county on my 21-inch computer monitor at home! I can even enlarge a name to up to 400 percent of its initial size, or quickly print a page. This CD makes it easy to thoroughly evaluate census data.

The CD jewel case contains no liner notes or user guide. Open and peruse the README.TXT file for procedures to install and use Windows Imaging, a very basic program for viewing and printing digital images. Open and view the census, which appears on the CD as individual scanned images in .tif format within an 1860 and a 1900 directory. File names reflect the handwritten census page numbers. For example, the 1860 Randolph County directory contains images 0759 through 0983. Although the installation and viewing techniques seem simple to a practiced computer user, a few simple notes to read before inserting the CD would comfort a novice.

Like a microfilmed census record, there is no index to the names in the scanned censuses. The CD may be intended only as a substitute for the microfilmed version, but even a rudimentary search tool that points to a page image would improve this product.

A comparison of the Census Images CDs to their microfilmed counterparts reveals several distinct advantages. The CDs can be used with a personal computer, and you can zoom in to a higher magnification than most film readers allow. Also, you can print a copy quickly on your own printer without digging for nickels and dimes. The digitized image can even be imported into a photo-editing program and enhanced to make the information more legible. Economically, this CD is a bargain at $20 for two Randolph County censuses. The same images on microfilm purchased from the National Archives cost $68.

How long will a scanned image be viable? The jury is still out on whether an electronic file in a specific format is as durable as microfilm. However, we cannot deny the convenience of owning an easily useable and storable digitized census on CD at a reasonable cost. I only wish S-K Publications had more censuses available!