Part V. Microfilming Procedures
17VAC15-20-50. Microfilming procedures.
Procedures to be followed in establishing and operating a micrographic program for filming public records shall conform to standards set down in ANSI/AIIM MS23—1998 Practice for Operational Procedures/Inspection and Quality Control of First-Generation Silver-Gelatin Microfilm of Documents.
Statutory Authority
§§ 42.1-8 and 42.1-82 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR440-01-137.1 § 5.1, eff. July 9, 1986; amended, Virginia Register Volume 7, Issue 24, eff. October 1, 1991; Volume 17, Issue 14, eff. May 1, 2001.
17VAC15-20-60. Microimages.
Microimages, including the generation intended for use, shall contain all the significant record detail shown on the originals. Microimages of the records shall be arranged, identified and indexed so that any individual document or component of the records can be easily located. All engineering drawings submitted for microfilming should conform to ANSI Y14.2M - 1987.
Statutory Authority
§§ 42.1-8 and 42.1-82 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR440-01-137.1 § 5.2, eff. July 9, 1986; amended, Virginia Register Volume 7, Issue 24, eff. October 1, 1991.
17VAC15-20-70. Densities.
All densities shall be as consistent as possible throughout the microform. The background density of the camera negative microfilm shall be within the ranges shown in the following table when measured on a blank area of the filmed document.
| TABLE 1. BACKGROUND DENSITIES. | ||
| Classification | Description of Documents | Density |
| Group 1 | High quality, high contrast documents or printed material and black typing; fine line originals, black opaque pencil writing and documents with small high contrast printing; Pencil and ink drawings, faded printing and very small printing. | 1.00‑1.20 |
| Group 2 | Low contrast manuscripts and drawings; graph paper with pale, fine-colored lines; letters typed with a worn ribbon; poorly printed, faint documents; and positive appearing photostats and blueprints. | 0.80‑1.00 |
Background density on positive appearing camera microfilm shall be no higher than 0.30. The base-plus-fog density of unexposed, processed, clear-base film must not exceed 0.10. When a tinted base film is used, the density shall not exceed 0.30. Measurements are made using a densitometer calibrated with a step tablet provided by the Imaging Services Branch, LVA. In certain instances, some poor contrast documents may require lower densities to make the entire image legible and reproducible as stated in ANSI/AIIM MS23 – 1998. Mixed quality documents should be filmed at the lower densities. A system of inspection and quality control to ensure compliance with this standard shall be established and consistently maintained in conformance with ANSI/AIIM MS23 – 1998 Practice for Operational Procedures/Inspection and Quality Control of First-Generation, Silver-Gelatin Microfilm of Documents.
Statutory Authority
§§ 42.1-8 and 42.1-82 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR440-01-137.1 § 5.3, eff. July 9, 1986; amended, Virginia Register Volume 7, Issue 24, eff. October 1, 1991; Volume 17, Issue 14, eff. May 1, 2001.
17VAC15-20-80. Minimum resolution.
A minimum resolution of 90 lines per millimeter shall be obtained regardless of reduction ratio used or the type of camera used and the 4.0 pattern shall be resolved for 16mm microfilm and the 6.3 pattern for 35mm microfilm. This shall be determined by the line count and direction method using the National Bureau of Standards Standard Reference Material 1010a (ANSI and ISO Test Chart No. 2) (or equivalent) for planetary cameras and the AIIM MS-113 Test Chart (or equivalent) for rotary cameras. No other test charts shall be used unless approved by the LVA. The test charts are composed of two groups of five parallel line pairs, the line pairs in the two groups being oriented perpendicular to one another, and each pattern is numbered and progressively reduced. Five vertical and five horizontal line pairs shall be clearly defined in both directions. The resolution test chart shall be photographed at the beginning and at the end of each reel of camera microfilm at least three times in succession.
NOTE: Resolution of duplicates should generally be only one pattern lower than the original from which the duplicate was reproduced. Pattern resolved times the reduction ratio equals lines per millimeter.
Resolution requirements for procedural microfilm recording. A minimum resolution of 120 lines per millimeter shall be obtained regardless of reduction ratio used or the type of camera used and the 5.0 pattern must be resolved for 16mm microfilm or the 3.2 pattern for 16mm microfilm being generated by the same office using digital imaging as a recording process. This shall be determined by the line count and direction method using the National Bureau of Standards Standard Reference Material 1010a (ANSI and ISO Test Chart No. 2) for planetary cameras and the AIIM MS-113 Test Chart for rotary cameras. No other test charts shall be used unless approved by the LVA. The test charts are composed of two groups of five parallel line pairs, the line pairs in the two groups being oriented perpendicular to one another, and each pattern is numbered and progressively reduced. Five vertical and five horizontal line pairs shall be clearly defined in both directions. The resolution test chart shall be photographed at the beginning and at the end of each reel of camera microfilm at least three times in succession.
NOTE: Resolution of duplicates should generally be only one pattern lower than the original from which the duplicate was reproduced. Pattern resolved times the reduction ratio equals lines per millimeter.
Statutory Authority
§§ 42.1-8 and 42.1-82 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR440-01-137.1 § 5.4, eff. July 9, 1986; amended, Virginia Register Volume 7, Issue 24, eff. October 1, 1991; Volume 17, Issue 14, eff. May 1, 2001.
17VAC15-20-90. Microform identification.
Microform identification of each reel of film shall conform to ANSI/AIIM MS19 – 1993 Identification of Microforms. The targets shall provide documentation which ensures that the microfilm copy can be substituted in place of the original document. Minimum documentation should include the following targets in the order listed: (i) start target, (ii) reel number, (iii) resolution chart (filmed three times), (iv) plain white sheet of paper, (v) title page, (vi) custodian's certificate, (vii) end of records or volume, (viii) operator's declaration, (ix) end of reel or continued on reel #, (x) resolution target (three times), and (xi) any other technical targets as needed. MS23 and MS19 list additional technical targets.
Statutory Authority
§§ 42.1-8 and 42.1-82 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR440-01-137.1 § 5.5, eff. July 9, 1986; amended, Virginia Register Volume 7, Issue 24, eff. October 1, 1991; Volume 17, Issue 14, eff. May 1, 2001.