Although the California State Archives does not have records management
responsibility for state agencies, we do offer advice to cities and
counties through our Local Government Records Program on the topics of
archives and records management. We also periodically offer a one-day
basic workshop on records management.
We generally recommend that organizations pay records storage costs, if
applicable, for records that are retained for less than five years,
digitize records that are needed for a period of five to ten years, and
microfilm records that have a retention period of longer than ten years.
Digitization, when harnessed to the power of a computer, is a great tool
for accessing active and semi-active records, but microfilm is a better
and more cost-effective method to ensure the preservation of records
that are needed for a long period. Digitization, of course, also
requires the periodic migration of data to newer media over time,
irrespective of whether the original records have been saved or not.
Bottom line depends on your objective: I suggest digitizing for access,
but microfilming for long-term preservation. Microfilm is certainly NOT
an obsolete technology. Properly processed and stored, microfilm can be
accessed for hundreds of years. Most digital formats are usable for less
than twenty years and the hardware/software needed to access the
digitized records has an even shorter life.
-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Yvonne Spence
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 1:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Microfilm Outdated?
Hi, my name is Yvonne Spence. I am a long time records manger. I used
to be the Deputy City Clerk in Austin, TX, but now I am the City Clerk
in Fresno, CA. I am a longtime user of the list serve, but I rarely
post. However a response that I received today from a State agency in
California threw me for a loop and prompted me to post a question to
this group. Here is the response I received:
"The original statement may be discarded after two years so long as it
can be accessed via a space saving device for the remaining five years
(or longer). We no longer recommend microfilm, as the technology is
outdated and the statements must be accessible for the entire retention
period, or longer, if the record is retained longer than seven years. "
I have always regarded microfilm to be the most trusted tool used for
preservation purposes, is this no longer the case?
[cid:image001.png@01CD132C.672ACF40]
Yvonne Spence, CRM CMC
City Clerk
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
559-621-7665
[log in to unmask]
www.fresno.gov
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