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Preservation Imaging Operations

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Preservation Imaging Operations is one of the oldest microfilm production operations in Arizona. Known for high quality work, this section performs micrographics services for Arizona state agencies and politcal subdivisions. This section is under the management of Bill James who has 35 years of experience in the microfilm and imaging industry.

Services include:

Microfilm processing for both 16mm and 35mm film is performed using a deep tank processor and very high standard quality control procedures. The processing lab produces its own film test strips and performs density tests, as well as methylene blue tests for residual thiosulfate. The result is "archival" quality microfilm for Arizona state government.

16mm and 35mm microfilm duplicating is also performed. Diazo duplicates are most commonly produced, but the section also has the capability to produce 16mm and 35mm silver halide duplicates. All duplicate film is quality controlled for both density (relative darkness of the negative image) and resolution (clarity and focus of the image).

 

Producing both 16mm and 35mm microfilm of selected records for various state agencies and municipalities. Most of these records are considered permanent and archival. The production is performed on planetary cameras to very high standards.

 

Drawings and Maps up to 40 inches by 60 inches are filmed on 35mm film, that is then scanned for access as digital images.

Duplicating stored microfilm for state agencies and the gneral public for a nominal fee - $10.00 per 16mm roll; $16.00 per 35mm roll.

Digital Scanning of Microfilm of various documents and publications is performed on a Wicks and Wilson RS325 Scanstation. The microfilm continues to provide a durable "archival" storage medium. The digitized documents are placed on CD's or DVD's enabling them to be conveniently read or transferred to virtually any personal computer, or they may be made web accessible. The digitized images can also be used with specialized search software to facilitate fast and easy retrieval of specific documents.

 

 

CD's and DVD's are more compact and more convienent than microfilm. In the accompanying photograph 28 rolls of 16mm microfilm have been converted to only 4 CDs. The CDs may be readily viewed or transferred to virtually any contemporary PC.

 

 

Microfilming of Arizona Newspapers is performed as part of the Arizona Newspaper Project. This project falls under the United States Newspaper Program which is a cooperative national effort among states and the federal government to locate catalog, and preserve on microfilm newspapers published in the United States from the eighteenth century to the present. Funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Technical assistance is furnished by the Library of Congress.

Arizona is one of a very few state participants in the USNP having its microfilming recommended by the Library of Congress. All microfilming of Arizona newspapers meets and usually exceeds the high standards established by the Library of Congress.

 

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