1. Aren’t scanned images as good as filmed images?

No. There is no scanning technology that offers as high a resolution as filmed images. However, many documents may be scanned at 300 dpi and result in a perfectly usable product.

2. Compact Disks last forever, right?

Wrong. Although pressed commercial disks may have a lifespan of 100 years, write-able CD-R media only has a storage life of 7 – 30 years, depending on quality. By comparison, properly prepared microfilm has a storage life of 100 – 200 years utilizing proper storage conditions.

3. Why do National Media Lab tests only warrant electronic media for 5 years or less when the media itself lasts for much longer?

The five year figure is due to the fact that software changes very quickly. The NML states that many electronic documents may become inaccessible because of changing software or computer systems. Remember WordStar or old DOS programs?

4. All our documents are produced on computers and saved on CD-R for our own use. However, the Archives prefer to receive microfilm. How can I do both?

Easy. Many imaging vendors can produce microfilm from scanned records or can produce both CDs and microfilm from documents. Many can even generate images from microfilmed records. This option allows agencies to have the easy storage and accessibility of CDs while supplying the State Archives with the microfilm that they prefer. Check with your imaging vendor or contact the Archives for more information.

5. Microfilm is so old-fashioned. Shouldn’t I be using the very latest technology for archiving records?

Not necessarily. Although microfilm is an old format, it is the most reliable format for archiving, both for longevity and accessibility. When properly stored, microfilm can be maintained for a very long time, much longer than any electronic format. A concern with new technology is that it can be replaced as quickly as it is introduced. Many agencies are gifted with old Wang floppy disks, 5 ¼ inch and 8 inch disks, tape drive units and other marvels of the computer age that were ‘the thing’ when new but are virtually unusable now. Microfilm is permanent, eye readable and not dependent on ever-changing software or technology for access.

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