Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
These standards apply to the production of master microfilm
from records digitally created (born digital) or imaged (scanned) from
paper.
A. State agencies shall utilize
a COM system capable of recording faithfully onto microfilm all of the
information contained in the digital image. Agencies utilizing a service
provider for writing digital images to COM shall have a written agreement in
place to provide for compliance with this standard.
B. The following standards for production,
testing, and inspection of COM shall be met:
(1) ANSI/AIIM MS1;
(2) ANSI/AIIM MS5;
(3) ANSI/AIIM MS28;
(4) ANSI/AIIM MS39;
(5) ANSI/AIIM MS43; and
(6) ANSI/NAPM IT9.17.
C. Record grouping. Before converting images
to COM records shall be properly organized and grouped.
(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 conversion to COM.
(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.
Film writer quality control. State agencies shall ensure that the film writer
has the correct density/contrast level by using a reference white target file
with a range of 0.9 to 1.1.
E.
Quality monitoring of images. Quality monitoring of images is controlled at the
time of document scanning. See 1.14.2.14 NMAC, standard for
imaging.
F. Resolution
standard: A system used to create microfilm from digital images shall have a
self-test process to ensure that all of the available pixels are consistently
available for recording purposes. The COM unit shall be tested regularly to
ensure optimal functionality.
G.
Density:
(1) Density of master negative COM
shall measure between 0.80 to 1.20.
(2) Required base plus fog density (relative
Dmin) for unexposed processed microfilms shall not exceed 0.10.
(3) Background density on positive appearing
silver masters shall be no greater than 0.30.
H. Reduction ratios: The selection of a
reduction ration is application specific. An agency shall take into account the
characteristics of the record, the task the system is designed to perform, and
the user requirements to be satisfied when selecting a reduction
ratio.
I. Image resolution:
Resolution shall be adequate to duplicate all details of the document in order
that the COM qualify as a true copy of the original record. Image resolution
shall meet standards specified in Subsection G of 1.14.2.14 NMAC.
J. Image formats. Digital images shall be in
a standard image format such as Group IV TIFF, BMP or PDF.
K. Blip coding. To effectively organize a
roll of COM the use of a multi-level blip coding strategy may be used. Blips
are rectangular marks exposed by the film recorder under each page as they are
written on the film. These marks can be programmed to appear in different sizes
to identify file level, document level, page level, etc. images. Applying this
sequence to recorded documents, a large blip designates the first page of a
document while small blips indicate supporting pages within the
document.
L. Page orientation.
Pages can be recorded on microfilm in two ways. In "cine mode" where the text
on a page runs perpendicular to the length of the film and in "comic mode"
where the text on a page runs parallel to the length of the film. Unless a
lower reduction ratio is needed for acceptable image quality, recording letter
and legal sized pages in comic mode is preferable. This is accomplished by
rotating the images 90º prior to recording or feeding the page "sideways"
through the scanner. The advantage of comic mode recording is that more pages
can be written on each roll of film saving storage space and promoting more
efficient scanning in the event that the film needs to be used to recover lost
image data.
M. Page spacing. Pages
need to have sufficient separation to allow a film scanner to reliably
differentiate adjacent pages on the film. There should be a minimum separation
of 0.06" (1.5mm) between adjacent pages. Pages that touch each other at any
point may preclude them from being captured separately by a microfilm scanner.
Although maximizing packing density improves scanning efficiency, documents
recorded on film should not span rolls.
N. COM 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
test targets. COM produced from either scanned or born digital images shall
include manufacturer's self-test targets specified in Subsection F of 1.14.2.12
NMAC.
(3) Density targets. See
Subsection G of 1.14.2.12 NMAC.
(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.
O. 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) Digital or
scanned images.
(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.
P. 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 wet 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-mastered 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 COM
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.
Q. Master COM shall be inspected by state
agencies or by vendors filming for agencies. Inspection shall consist of
verification of the following:
(1)
targets;
(2) indexing;
(3) labeling;
(4) document accountability;
(5) density;
(6) resolution; and
(7) visual observation of major defects and
errors.
R. Master COM
stored at the SRCA are subject to audit by the SRCA staff at any time and shall
comply with the standards set out in Subsection Q of 1.14.2.12 NMAC.
S. 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 converted to
COM;
(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.
T. 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.
U. Destruction of original copy.
(1) Prior to the final destruction of any
scanned 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 scanned and converted to COM;
(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.
V. Expungement. An agency required to perform
expungement of COM shall create and maintain an expungement certificate that
details the reason for the expungement, the authority to expunge, the date of
the original filming and the date of the expungement. The expungement
certification shall indicate that the original and all known copies have been
expunged.
