Microforms, Imaging, and Libraries

1
Microforms, Imaging, and Libraries

• LaDawn MusicAudiovisual ServicesLIBR 180

2
Summary

• During the course of the work day, I help in the
  creation of microfilm and microfiche (they are
  also collectively called microforms). A planned
  move from the microfilm format to the imaging
  format for the office is to be implemented within
  the next three years (barring the unforeseen).
  There are some distinct advantages and
  disadvantages to each system. This presentation
  will review the two methods and compare how they
  may fit in with library practices.

3
What is Microfilm/fiche?

• Microfilm is film on which printed materials are
  photographed at greatly reduced size for ease of
  storage. It also refers to a reproduction on this
  kind of film or a magnification system used to
  read the material. Archival microfilm meets the
  demands of either the National Preservation
  Office Guide to Microfilming or the RLG Standards
  (in the USA)
• Microfiche is a card or sheet of microfilm
  capable of accommodating and preserving a
  considerable number of pages in reduced form. It
  can also be a sheet of microfilm on which many
  pages of microfilm have been stored in jackets
  instead of being left on the film reel.

4
What are the advantages of Microforms?

• Microfilm offers reassurance that the image on
  the film will be legible far into the future.
• Archival microfilm meets the demands of either
  the National Preservation Office Guide to
  Microfilming or the RLG Standards (in the USA).
  Microfilm is the product of tested technology,
  governed by these standards. Microfilm boasts a
  life expectancy of 500 years when created and
  stored according to standard.
• Microfilm is also robust, reliable,
  cost-effective and provides a solid foundation
  for scanning to other media.
• Microfilm does not require sophisticated
  equipment for reading and access. In fact, even
  without standard microfilm/fiche viewers, It can
  easily be read with a light source and a
  magnifying glass.

5
More Microform Advantages

• Microforms can enhance access to information that
  would otherwise be unavailable because the
  original item is at a distant site or is
  vulnerable to damage and/or loss through
  handling.
• Microforms are relatively inexpensive to produce
  and to copy.
• Microforms come in a number of formats. The most
  familiar of these are 16mm or 35mm roll microfilm
  and microfiche, the latter resembling a plastic
  file card.
• Roll microfilm, in either 16mm or 35mm formats,
  can be cut into short strips and housed in clear
  "jackets" to produce a microfiche. Three types of
  film are common in microform collections
  silver-gelatin, diazo, and vesicular.

6
Microfilm creation process

• First the paper is organized into the order it is
  to be filmed in and to a filming area. There each
  page is photographed.
• This camera set-up is similar to what is used at
  my employment. There are both automated and hand
  filming cameras available. With hand cameras the
  papers are placed one by one and filmed with a
  button press. Automated cameras mechanically grab
  papers and films each page via sensors. Both
  types require constant attention and regular
  maintenance to ensure proper filming.

7
Microfilm creation process

• Now the film needs to be developed. The machine
  depicted here is a processor for microfilm. The
  film is run from inside the top of the machine
  through six sets of rollers and vats of processor
  fluid, fixer fluid, and then water. By the time
  it comes out of the processor (about 15 minutes
  per film reel depending on the processor), it has
  dried and is wound onto the awaiting film reel.
• Now the film is ready to be stored and viewed.

8
Microform viewers

• Microform viewers come in a variety of shapes and
  sizes. Some viewers (like the one pictured here)
  have printers built into viewer to return the
  film to hard copy format when needed. Others only
  offer viewing capabilities and tend to be smaller
  then the viewer and printer models. This
  particular views is set up for microfiche and
  would need to have a reel attachment added to
  view a microfilm reel.

9
Microfiche creation and storage

• Microfiche cards are slightly different in
  creation. The image is photographed directly onto
  the a film card and is then ready for storage
  without being developed in a separate processor.
  There picture here shows one of the common
  organizers for microfiche. This can also be used
  to store fiche.

10
More on storage

• When there are many fiche to store, trays like
  the one here can be used.
• The trays can then be stored in a standard file
  cabinet or in a cabinet with automated shelving.
  These shelves move in a circular rotation and
  helps to make an optimum use of available space.

11
What is Imaging?

• Document imaging is the process by which a
  digital picture of the original paper document is
  created. Utilizing document scanning software,
  the document, when run through a scanner,
  converts to an electronic image. Sophisticated
  digital imaging software tools can also improve
  the quality of the document. It can remove
  speckles, straighten the documents, remove
  backgrounds that are obscuring the information,
  darken and lighten text.
• While the quality of paper documents deteriorates
  over time, the quality of the electronic
  documents remain consistent. However, it is a
  read-only format. This feature eliminates
  deleting or changing original copies. Documents
  can be annotated or otherwise edited once the
  documents are copied to a hard drive or other
  read/write media. Such annotations are stored as
  overlays and do not alter the original image in
  any way.1

12
Imaging-Preparing

• The imaging system also begins by sorting the
  paperwork to be filmed. But instead of being
  placed in the order to be filmed, it is separated
  by what type of information is on each page. To
  use a newspaper for an example, sections may be
  separated into categories such as sports,
  obituaries, features, business, community
  articles, education, entertainment, national
  events, reader input, state government, travel,
  and classifieds. These sample categories and
  others can be separated into subcategories if
  desired. The sorted bundle of papers receives a
  batch number to be used at the indexing stage.

13
Imaging-Scanning

• The papers are now sent through one of two types
  of scanners.
• The first is a high-speed scanner that quick
  scans neat-edged, one-sided papers.
• The other is a desktop scanner that is hand fed.
  It is mainly used for pages that would cause
  problems in the high-speed scanner. Such pages
  may have text on both sides or bedraggled edges.

14
Imaging-Indexing

• The scanned pages are now ready to be sorted in
  the computer system. The pages are looked up in
  the computer system via batch number. The
  sections, from the preparing stage, are then
  attached to the matching index file in the
  computer system and if needed the scanned images
  are enhanced to improve the quality of the
  digital duplicate.
• The documents are now in the database for anyone
  with access to the system to retrieve. The papers
  can then be stored or disposed of as directed by
  the companies preferred policy. New paper copies
  can be printed from the database as needed
  through a computer printer.
• To prevent loss of information, the databases are
  frequently backed-up in CD format and the CDs at
  kept at a separate archives location. This way if
  something should happen to either the database or
  the location of the database the information can
  be restored with minimal expense.

15
Libraries and Microforms

• Microforms have been in libraries for decades.
  They have been used to store newspapers and other
  old documents for future use without risk of loss
  or damage to the original documentation.
• With other advances in technology, microfilm
  seems to becoming an outdated mode of storing
  information. However since converting microfilm
  to digital images can be a costly venture and
  since the materials used to view microfilm are
  already in place, the use of microforms in
  libraries is not likely to disappear.

16
Libraries and Imaging

• Despite its current place, libraries of the
  future may choose to replace microfilm with the
  digital imaging. Libraries will probably not go
  to the expense of setting up imaging stations and
  training staff, but they may choose to set up
  computers with imaging software and have the
  microforms sent out to an independent company to
  do the conversions.
• The reason for this is mostly convenience.
  Imaging does not require the storage space of
  microforms. Nor does it require equipment outside
  of computers, printers, and software compared to
  the file cabinets, microform viewers or
  viewer/printers. Also due to the digital
  clean-up that can be done on documents, it can
  provide a tidier copy then microfilm.
• However with the digital databases of articles
  and internet access to historical information
  available, there is probably not a need for
  current archival information to also be stored in
  either microform or imaging formats.

17
Websites for Microforms

• Dean B. Ellis Library-Microforms Information
  http//www.library.astate.edu/dept/micro/microform
  s.htm
• Goodwin Photo Inc.-Microform Equipment
  http//www.goodwinphotoinc.com/repair_parts_manual
  s.html
• Latin American Collection at Yale University
  http//www.library.yale.edu/latinamerica/micro1.ht
  ml
• The Librarians Yellow pages-Equipment,
  Furnishings Supplies http//www.librariansyellow
  pages.com/subjects.wcgi?5
• University Libraries, University of
  Washington-Microform and Newspaper Collection
  http//www.lib.washington.edu/mcnews/
• University of Oregon Libraries The Microform
  discussion list http//libweb.uoregon.edu/govdocs/
  micrlist.htm
• University of Toronto Libraries-Guide to Major
  Microform Collections http//www.library.utoronto.
  ca/robarts/microtext/collection/

18
Websites for Imaging

• Optimis Systems Inc. Online Demonstration
  http//www.optimis.com/doc_onl.htm
• Image Labs International-Machine Vision and
  Imaging Library http//www.imagelabs.com/library.p
  hp
• Digital Imaging Media Technology Initiative-Web
  Resource list http//images.library.uiuc.edu/resou
  rces/links.htm
• FLAAR-The Digital Imaging Technology Center
  http//www.flatbed-scanner-review.org/FLAAR_Digita
  l_Imaging_Center/Digital_Imaging_Technology.html
• Public Solutions-Public Feeds Showcase
  http//www.moreover.com/cgi-local/page?oportalc
  Imaging20equipment20news
• Ritz Camera-Imaging Equipment News
  http//www.photography.com/newsevents.html
• Charles Daneys Photography Pages-Photography
  Digital Imaging Resources http//www.mbay.net/cgd
  /photo/pholinks.htm

19
Bibliography

• Frequently Asked Questions. Optimis System,
  Inc. 2002. 1 June 2003. q.htm.
• Why Microfilm? Scottish Newspapers Microfilming
  Unit. 1 June 2003. m.htm.
• Why Digitise? Scottish Newspapers Microfilming
  Unit. 1 June 2003. tion.htm.
• Microfilm. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 2003.
  13 May 2003 h?qmicrofilm.
• Microfiche. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 2003.
  13 May 2003 h?qmicrofiche.
• Schoelkopf, Cheri. Office Assistant, Labor and
  Industries. Personal Interview. 16 May 2003.
• Trana, Randy. Office Assistant, Labor and
  Industries. Personal Interview. 16 May 2003.

20
Bibliography

• Why Document Imaging? WinOcular Paperless
  Office. 2000. 1 June 2003 m/Why_Document_Imaging/why_document_imaging.html.
  
• Microfilm and Microfiche. Northeast Document
  Conservation Center. 1999. 1 June 2003
  .

Photographs and ClipArt

• Caught on Film. Family Tree Magazine 2001. 1
  June 2003. es/article_art/dec01/microfilm.jpg. slide 3.
• Design Gallery Live. Microsoft Office. 2003. 1
  June 2003.
  slides 2, 12

21
Photographs and ClipArt

• The Microfilm Shop. The Microfilm Shop. 2002. 1
  June 2003. hp?ItemID80 slide 6.
• The Microfilm Shop. The Microfilm Shop. 2002. 1
  June 2003.
  slides 3, 9, 10.
• Scanners for Sale. Donnegan Systems. 2003. 1
  June 2003. ale.html slide 13.
• Scanners. Fujitsu. 2002, 2003. 1 June 2003.
  slide 13.
• Used Equipment. MCO The Microfilm Company.
  2000-2002. 1 June 2003 y.com/used.php slides 7, 8.
• Library Virtual Tour. Chaffey College. 2003. 1
  June 2003 p slide 15.