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Step by Step Procedure to Verify Film Standards

The section explains the process to verify the density and resolution of microfilm, whether produced within the Clerk’s office or as an outsourced process through digital conversion.

Equipment needed:

Densitometer -a small machine used to test the density of film; a strip of film is placed to gain a reading of the film’s density.
Light box -is a flat bed shaped box with a light inside to see through the film.
Microscope -that’s right, a microscope, just a as you would find in a laboratory.
Film Reader

1. Prepare documentation paperwork for a roll of film. This would be the master sheet that describes the record series on the film, the roll number, the date the film was received from the vendor (or produced in house), the date of audit, vendor name (if applicable), film type (16 mm or 35 mm), the film standards that were measured, the name of the microfilm technician, date of frame by frame inspection and the status of the film, i.e., rejected or accepted. (Blank copy attached.)
2. Attach documentation paperwork to the master sheet. Attach the title page, the declaration of records custodian sheet and the imaging operator’s sheet. We also include the certificate of authenticity from the vendor that follows the standard sheets at the end of the film.
3. Test the film for density. Using the densitometer, test the film for density by taking at least three readings of the blank sheets at the beginning of the roll and the black circle on the technical target. The density must meet the range outlined in Administrative Rule 6, thus ensuring that the film will not be too light or too dark.
4. Test the film for resolution. Using the light box and a microscope, a reading is taken from the technical target by identifying the point at which fine parallel lines placed side by side run together or blur. The resolution must meet the range outlined in Administrative Rule 6, ensuring that the characters will be readable on a film reader.
5. Frame by frame inspection. The film is then placed on the film reader. Page through the film, verifying that the records contained on the roll match what the documentation sheets describe and that the dates are correct. Compare hard copy documents to the filmed images. Also verify that the end targets are complete and identical to the beginning targets.

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