Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
This standard applies to the production of traditional
microfilm in which source documents are photographed utilizing a camera and
images are captured on film. The measures outlined in this section are required
to maintain the integrity of the original records and to ensure that the
microfilm produced is an adequate substitute for the original record and serves
the purpose for which such records were created.
A. Agencies utilizing a service provider for
the filming, processing, duplication or the production of microforms shall have
a written agreement in place to provide for compliance with this
standard.
B. A microfilm system
shall be determined to meet minimum standards if the combined results of the
consumables (i.e. film, chemicals, etc.) and microfilm equipment meet the
standards developed or approved by the American national standards institute
for the production of microfilm (see 1.14.2.17 NMAC). The requirements of the
most current revisions of said standard shall prevail unless otherwise
specified in this rule.
C.
Preparation for microfilming: Materials to be microfilmed require careful
analysis and preparation to ensure the creation of quality microfilm that is
readily usable and easily understood. Important factors to be considered in
determining which record series should be filmed include retention period and
volume. Only records in large volume or with long retention periods should
normally be considered. Before microfilming, materials must be properly
organized and collated.
(1) Records shall be
carefully inspected for completeness and the description and retention period
of the record verified.
(2) The
proper order of the materials shall be determined before
microfilming.
(3) Active records
shall not be filmed with inactive records.
(4) Documents from different record series
may be filmed on a single roll provided retention periods are the
same.
D. Microfilm
qualifications: Agencies shall produce a master negative
microfilmand a working copy. An agency shall have a
re-inspection program and process in place for all master microfilm produced.
(1) Master microfilm shall:
(a) be of a silver gelatin
composition;
(b) meet the minimum
standards for the production of master microfilm specified in this section for
density, resolution, targeting and spacing;
(c) shall be re-filmed if it fails
inspection;
(d) be stored off-site
(for security purposes) for the full period prescribed by the agency's records
retention and disposition schedule.
(2) Working copy microfilm is designated for
reference or everyday use in an office and may be of silver halide, diazo, or
of a vesicular composition. An agency shall produce a minimum of one working
copy of microfilm.
(3) If multiple
working copies of security or preservation microfilm are needed, it is
recommended that the production of such microfilm conform to a three-generation
system as noted in section 7.1 of ANSI/AIIM MS48-1990. Such a system consists
of master negative; a second-generation copy of the master negative that serves
as a duplicate negative to be used for producing additional copies; and one or
more third-generation working copies produced from the second-generation
film.
(4) Agencies using microfilm
systems that do not produce an original silver gelatin film shall make a silver
gelatin duplicate negative that meets this standard before depositing such film
for storage at the SRCA.
E. Microfilm targets. All microfilm shall
have the following targets to be in compliance with this rule:
(1) Statement of intent and purpose. A
statement of intent and purpose shall be filmed at the beginning and end of
each roll of film and shall contain the following information:
(a) authority under which microfilming is
being done;
(b) name of the agency
for which the microfilming is being done;
(c) statement indicating the records
microfilmed are in the legal custody of the agency, and that the records were
created as part of the normal course of business;
(d) statement certifying the agency is
microfilming in accordance with an approved microphotography plan on file with
the SRCA;
(e) statement certifying
that it is the policy of the agency to microfilm the specified records and that
the microfilm is an accurate representation of the original copy which will be
maintained as the legal copy of record in lieu of paper, and that the paper
records are destroyed after microfilming in accordance with all requirements of
the Public Records Act; and
(f)
name, title, and signature of records custodian or microphotography program
manager.
(2) Resolution
target. Each roll of film will contain a photographic image of a standard
resolution test card or chart. ISO test chart no. 2 as specified by ANSI/AIIM
MS51-1991 (
American National Standard for Microcopying--ISO Test Chart
No. 2--Description and Use in Photographic Documentary Reproduction),
must be filmed at the beginning and ending of each roll. These chart images
should be used to monitor resolution as filming progresses. The line patterns
must be read in each corner and in the center of each chart (or on a diagonal
for rotary cameras) and the lowest resolution reading must be posted to the
film container and to the guide sheet or other laboratory record. The cause of
a substandard resolution must be identified and corrected prior to further
production filming. All substandard film shall be corrected before shipping to
the SRCA for storage.
(a) Rotary cameras. A
minimum resolving power of 2.5 shall be read on the required test
chart.
(b) Planetary cameras. A
minimum resolving power of 4.0 shall be read on the required test
chart.
(c) Resolution readings
shall be determined by following the procedures for determining microfilm
resolution as set forth in ANSI/AIIM MS23.
(3) Density target. The required background
transmission density maximum (Dmax) for source document microfilm is based on
filming a target consisting of a blank sheet of 20 lb white bond paper.
(a) Paper records dated prior to 1960, the
relative Dmax shall read between .9 and 1.19.
(b) Paper records dated 1960 and after, the
relative Dmax shall read between .85 and 1.29.
(c) Density targets shall appear at the
beginning and end of each roll.
(d)
Density readings shall be measured at the center of the density
target.
(e) Density minimum (Dmin).
The required base plus fog density (relative Dmin) for unexposed processed
microfilms shall not exceed 0.10.
(4) Start of roll target. Start of roll
target shall contain the following information:
(a) roll number;
(b) name of agency and office to which the
records belong;
(c) record(s) or
file(s) being microfilmed;
(d) date
of filming;
(e) name of camera
operator; and
(f) description of
first record image on the roll of film.
(5) End of roll target. End of roll target
shall contain the following information:
(a)
roll number;
(b) name of agency and
office to which the records belong;
(c) record(s) or file(s) being
microfilmed;
(d) date of filming
and name of camera operator; and
(e) description of last record image on the
roll of film.
F. Microfilm image sequence and spacing. The
following image sequence and spacing shall be used:
(1) Start of roll:
(a) film leader;
(b) a single statement of intent and
purpose;
(c) a single resolution
target;
(d) a single density
target;
(e) a single start of roll
target; and
(f) four
spaces.
(2) Record
images. Source documents are to be filmed between the start and end of roll
targets.
(3) End of roll:
(a) four spaces;
(b) a single end of roll target;
(c) a single density target;
(d) a single resolution target;
(e) a single statement of intent and purpose;
and
(f) film trailer.
G. Chemical testing of
processed film will be required in order to comply with the standards set forth
in ANSI/NAPM IT9.17-1993, ANSI/ISO 417-1993 (American National Standard
for Photography--Determination of Residual Thiosulfate and Other Related
Chemicals in Processed Photographic Materials--Methods Using Iodine-Amylose,
Methylene Blue and SilverSulfide). Methylene blue test will be used to
meet this requirement.
(1) For records
possessing a permanent retention, a methylene blue test shall be conducted on a
six inch unexposed clear strip of leader cut from a processed roll of
microfilm. The methylene blue test shall be conducted on the microfilm strip
within two weeks after the processing of the microfilm.
(2) Systems producing more than 10 rolls per
week, shall maintain proof of biweekly test results.
(3) Residual thiosulphate ion shall not
exceed 1.4 micrograms per square centimeter as tested by the methylene blue
test.
(4) Test results shall be
maintained for the retention period of the records on microfilm produced (until
film is eligible for destruction) or until the microfilm is
regenerated.
(5) Annual proof of
methylene blue testing shall be submitted to the state records center and
archives by the end of each fiscal year in which microfilm is
produced.
H. Splicing
and erasures. Roll form master negative microfilm shall have no splicing or
erasures between certification statements, unless expungement of a particular
image or images is authorized in writing by the custodial agency.
I. Post-film inspection:
(1) Master negative microfilm shall be
inspected by state agencies or by vendors filming for agencies. Inspection
shall consist of verification of the following:
(a) targets;
(b) indexing;
(c) labeling;
(d) document accountability;
(e) density;
(f) resolution; and
(g) visual observation of major defects and
errors.
(2) Agencies
shall inspect duplicate film for the following:
(a) major defects and errors;
(b) indexing accuracy;
(c) document accountability; and
(d) legibility.
(3) Microforms failing to pass inspection
shall be refilmed.
J.
Master microforms stored at the state records center are subject to audit by
the SRCA at any time and shall comply with the standards set out in Subsection
I of 1.14.2.10 NMAC. In the event densitometer readings by an agency or vendor
consistently vary from those of the SRCA, the agency or vendor shall calibrate
their densitometers to correspond to readings obtained by densitometers at the
SRCA.
K. Microfilm container
identification.
(1) All master microfilm roll
containers shall contain the following minimum information:
(a) name and address of the custodial
agency;
(b) date filmed;
(c) identification of the first and last
document on the roll of film;
(d)
identification of the inclusive dates of the oldest and the most recent
document by month, date and year;
(e) records series names and corresponding
records retention and disposition schedule item number;
(f) disposition trigger date (i.e., date file
closed, date contract terminated, etc.);
(g) name and address of the entity producing
the roll of film; and
(h) roll
number.
(2) Master
microfilm rolls that do not contain the required information on the label shall
be returned to the agency for re-labeling. If SRCA is required to ship the
master microfilm rolls back to the agency, the custodial agency shall be
responsible for the shipping costs.
L. Indexing requirements. The agency shall
maintain an index for the purpose of tracking all microphotography records. The
index shall include the following:
(1) agency
code;
(2) record series title and
corresponding records retention and disposition schedule item number;
(3) retention period;
(4) inclusive dates;
(5) trigger date;
(6) date filmed; and
(7) access restrictions.
M. Destruction of original copy.
(1) Prior to the final destruction of any
microfilmed paper records, all requirements of this rule shall be
met.
(2) Agencies shall submit a
request for destruction which includes the following information:
(a) a statement that the records for
destruction have been microfilmed;
(b) that the microfilm has been filmed in
accordance to 1.14.2. NMAC microphotography standards;
(c) roll numbers;
(d) record series; and
(e) shall be signed by the records custodian
for destruction approval.
