Dwight;

The silver film could be damaged if not handled properly. Consider creating silver dupes if the diazo copy is not up to snuff.

Testing is always recommended; most vendors prefer it.

Poor quality microfilm can be scanned and the image improved but always with the initial question.
I've seen good legible images from film with densities of 0.4 and images reduced as much as 87X.

John Glover
707-974-8896

-----Original Message-----
>From: WALLIS Dwight D <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: May 29, 2008 9:48 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [RM] FW: Scanning of Microfilm
>
>Folks, just a thanks for all of your kind responses on my questions
>regarding scanning of microfilm. Multnomah County started microfilming
>in a big way in 1949. As a result, the film varies greatly in quality.
>Particularly in the 1960s, there were significant problems with density
>variation and splicing (often using scotch tape!). Density readings can
>often go below .50. At one point they were actually trying to "save
>money" by cutting 35 mm film lengthwise in half to create 16 mm film (or
>so I've been told - I still have a hard time understanding how this
>could be done, but, looking at some of the film we have in storage, I'll
>believe anything!). BTW, I often use this old film as an analogy for
>what happens when our sole goal in implementing a conversion process is
>"going paperless", with no other thought for process, retention,
>metadata, etc...
>
>Fred, thanks for passing on the standards references. We will be
>retaining all original film. A good compromise might be to send out
>diazo film instead of original film that meets current quality
>standards. In the case of poorer quality film, original silvers probably
>should go. However, once scanned it might be worth looking into
>generating new film from the scanned images, assuming that the new film
>could be adjusted to compensate for the poor quality density (and
>assuming that this would not result in too significant a loss in
>resolution, as mentioned by Ginny).
>
>Dwight Wallis, CRM
>Records Administrator
>Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution and Stores
>(FREDS)
>1620 S.E. 190th Avenue
>Portland, OR 97233
>Phone: (503)988-3741
>Fax: (503)988-3754
>[log in to unmask]
>
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