One of the ways we at the State and Local Records Management Division (SLRM) assist state agencies and local governments in ensuring records and information are accessible for the short-, medium-, and long-term is by operating a full-service, cost-recovery image conversion center, the Imaging Services Department. We recently asked Imaging Services Supervisor Jacqueline Jacobs and State Records Center Manager Zachary Bruton to give us an update on what’s new with the department, services they provide, and their best advice for starting an imaging project.

What’s New with the Imaging Services Department?

A recent addition to the shop this year is the FlexScan Multi-Format Production Microfilm Scanner. This equipment provides high-volume, archival-quality scans of your microfilm and microfiche in a variety of file formats. This allows an entity to retain the microfilm or microfiche copies of a record for long-term or permanent preservation purposes, while the digital image can be hosted as the access copy used for the typical functions of an office. The Imaging Services Department is also expecting to add a map scanner to its inventory soon; this scanner will be able to digitize large documents like maps, blueprints, or plats.

Other Services We Currently Offer

• Digital Archive Writer—This equipment will transfer your digital images in any file type to microfilm, either in landscape or portrait orientation, to either 16 mm or 35 mm microfilm reels. The charge per image always includes film processing; quality control editing; proper targeting and certification according to the client’s requirements; density and resolution readings; and labels providing roll number and begging and ending contents of each roll.
• Digital Imaging Services—The Imaging Services Department can create digital images in a variety of formats from both paper and microform source documents for state agencies and local governments.
• Source Document Microfilming—The Imaging Services Department can film documents on rotary scanners and the archive writer using 16 mm or 35 mm silver halide film. Capabilities of this equipment also include targeting automatic indexing (coding, blipping), and microfilm container labeling and indexing.
• Microfilm Duplication—This service is available for: 16mm or 35mm silver halide roll microfilm; 16mm or 35mm diazo roll microfilm; and microfiche and microfiche jackets.
• Microfilm Jacket Loading—This service is ideal for records that must be preserved, but also periodically updated. Roll microfilm is created, then cut and loaded into jackets. When the new, updated documents are created, they are filmed and loaded into their respective jackets.
• Microfiche Creation and Duplication—Diazo microfiche duplication services are available for producing copies from microfilm jackets or silver halide microfiche.
• Document Preparation—This service is provided to entities on a limited basis and includes prepping documents by removing staples, paperclips, and rubber bands; unfolding and straightening pages; etc.

Some Advice from Our Experts

• Make sure you have a content management system to host and access your records. You don’t want to do the work of digitization without a way to organize it for later retrieval.
• Know your material really well and know what you want your final project to look like. The more detail you can provide on how you want your project to work, the more we can help customize the product to function for your needs.
• If you do not already have a file structure in place for your records, before digitizing them is an ideal time to develop one—otherwise, you’ll just have a single large file to go through. We don’t want to change your internal processes, but we want you to have a usable product.
• Pick high-access records to digitize first and let your project plan show what will have the highest return on investment—this will determine the strategy for your project.
• Think about backups needed to resume essential functions or protect permanent records and make sure you keep them up to date.

Sounds Great! How Do I Get Started?

To get started with an imaging project with our Imaging Services Department, call or send an email describing the records and what you want to be able to do with them—look at our website to get an idea of what’s available. After reviewing your request, the Imaging Services Supervisor will send you a questionnaire to capture details about the project: records involved, their location, their condition, etc. After receiving the questionnaire, a quote is issued for the project and a meeting is scheduled to talk through the process and define objectives. The project is put in the queue for our staff to tackle and we work with you to address any quirks or issues that come up until you are satisfied with your product!

Interested in knowing more? Contact our Imaging Services Department today!