UNLESS -- the PDF files are not searchable. It's possible to create a
PDF document that only has page images, not actual text. I have two
Car Builder Cyclopedias (1940 and 1957) that were produced this way.
They are ok to use like a print book but lack of search really limits
their usefulness.

Well, almost everything has to be scanned, except for the last N years worth
(where N is around 10) where everything was done online and in a form that
is still easily readable and convertible to PDF. Whether they'll have run
OCR on the resulting pages or not, I won't venture to guess. I am willing
to bet that there will be no editing of any resulting OCR efforts to ensure
consistency with the actual printed page.

I can, and will if I have to, run the OCR on those pages myself when the
DVDs arrive, and combining single page PDFs into one issue, or article by
article, will be pretty easy, The downside will be that I'll have my
version, and someone else will have theirs, etc.

Any good front end will not care if the back end data is page by page or any
other breakdown.

I expect to see alterate front ends made available if the Kalmbach provided
one isn't up to snuff, all referencing the standard contents as copied from
the DVDs. Then we'll all be able to reference the data when talking about
STMFC photos and articles without violating copyrights.



--
david d zuhn Saint Paul Bridge & Terminal Ry.
zoo @ stpaulterminal.org