Collections

Documents the microfilm operations of the Filmsort Company and before and after its acquisition by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) Company, including sales information, price lists, equipment photographs, correspondence, brochures, parts lists, manuals, and newsletters.

This collection consists of two series--one concerning Filmsort both before and after its acquisition by 3M and the other relating to other aspects of 3M's involvement in microfilm work.

The Filmsort Series contains sales information, price lists, equipment photographs, correspondence, memoranda, patents, product brochures, parts lists, equipment operating and service manuals, and newsletters. The bulk of this material pre-dates the sale of Filmsort to 3M. The folder of John Favorite and Charles Hann correspondence and memoranda is a file maintained by 3M about Filmsort, but many of the other materials were originally part of the records of the Filmsort Company and were acquired by 3M along with the other assets of Filmsort in 1959.

The 3M series contains newsletters, parts and service manuals, technical notes for customer service representatives, "know how" bulletins, and a camera marketing manual. These materials concern 3M microfilm work and products not specifically identified with the Filmsort division. The bulk of this series dates from 1958 to 1968 although two folders date from 1976.

Lester O. Kruger was a long-time 3M employee and a leader in the micrographics industry. As an active member of the National Micrographics Association and Association for Information and Image Management, Kruger helped develop national and international micrographic standards. This collection documents Kruger's career and involvement with Filmsort/3M, NMA, and AIIM.

The Lester O. Kruger Papers are divided into 8 series: National Micrographics Association (NMA), Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), 3M, Personal, Photographs, Microforms, Printed Material, and Realia. Largely consisting of professional papers, the collection documents Kruger's work in micrographics, imaging, and standards. Included are correspondence and memoranda between colleagues, organizational correspondence and information, meeting reports and resolutions, drafts of proposed standards, presentation drafts, photographs, and microfiche. The collection contains a smaller amount of more personal material, pertaining to Kruger's career and achievements. These include: awards, plaques, a scrapbook, photographs, ephemera, and a small quantity of personal correspondence with professional colleagues. Realia related to micrography, including microfilm viewers and a medallion from an NMA conference, make up the final series in the Kruger Papers.