Abstract: A security system for quantitatively verifying a condition of items in a special collections inventory includes a scale in connection with an index of special collection items. Every item in the index has a unique weight within a collection. The scale takes a current weight measurement of a special collections item and automatically reports the current weight measurement to the computing device hosting the index. Using the current weight measurement, the index is searched for a given item by comparing the current weight measurement with a set of indexed reference weights. In response to a match being detected between the current weight measurement and a reference weight among the set of indexed reference weights, a physical condition of the given item—corresponding with the reference weight—is verified as being intact.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing multimedia telecommunication services to multimedia workstations. The multimedia workstations communicate with a multimedia central office which includes a digital switch complex coupled to a public digital telephone network, and at least one twisted pair transceiver coupled to at least one twisted pair link in a telephone loop plant. The multimedia central office further includes at least one switch complex operatively associated with the digital switch complex and the at least one twisted pair transceiver. The multimedia central office is capable of transceiving signals with multimedia workstations interfaced to the public digital telephone network, and with multimedia workstations interfaced to the at least one twisted pair link in the telephone loop plant. The signals which are transceived include audio signals, video signals, and digital data signals used in providing the multimedia telecommunication services.