SECTION 60:10-7-2. Quality control standards

  The following are quality control standards for microfilm of state records:

(1)   Records and Microfilm Identification Declarations must be completed and signed by the official who has legal custody of the original records and by the camera operator, and filmed at the beginning and end of each roll of film thus identifying the records on that particular roll. The Commission suggests ANSI/AIIM MS 19-1993, "Recommended Practice for Identification of Microforms," as a guide for completing Microform Identification Declarations.

(2)   Documents in a condition making it impossible to reproduce them in a legible and readable condition, as displayed on a microfilm reader or reproduced in paper copy, should be marked with a target to that effect, such as "The following document is below standards for microfilm." After being filmed, such documents must be withdrawn from the sequence and retained in the original for the same length of time as the applicable microfilm. Legibility is defined as the quality of a letter or numeral which enables the observer to identify it positively and quickly to the exclusion of all other letters and numerals. Readability is defined as the quality of a group of letters or numerals which makes them recognizable as words or whole numbers.

(3)   Microfilm stock used for preservation of documents shall be safety base permanent records film, as specified in ANSI IT9.6-1991, "Photography—Photographic Films— Specifications for Safety Film (revision and redesignation of ANSI PH 1.25-1984)."

(A)   The required master record on microfilm (camera negative) shall be permanent record film as specified in ANSI/NAPM IT9.1-1992, "Imaging Media (Film)—Silver-Gelatin Type—Specifications for Stability (revision and redesignation of ANSI PH 9.1-1989)."

(B)   In addition to the master record, a working copy of the microfilm may be provided. The working copy may be silver, diazo or vesicular type on a safety base of cellulose estar or polyester materials.

(4)   In clear-base, negative-appearing microfilm of paper documents, the gross background density shall be between 0.8 and 1.50, depending on the type of original document and the reduction ratio. 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 will increase by 0.1 or 0.2 which must be added to the 0.10 value. The Procedures for density measurement are described in ANSI/AIIM MS 23-1991, "Practice for Operational Procedures/Inspection and Quality Control of First-Generation Silver-Gelatin Microfilm of Documents." On negative microfilm produced by Computer Output Microfilm (COM), the background density shall be a minimum 1.1. These requirements apply only to the master records.

(5)   Every master record shall have density measurements taken at five (5) separate locations listed in (a) through (e) of this paragraph. Whenever possible, the areas selected for recording density measurement shall be free of information. The locations for density measurement are:

(A)   at the beginning of the reel (within the first ten (10) frames);

(B)   one/quarter (1/4) of the way through the reel;

(C)   one/half (1/2) of the way through the reel;

(D)   three/quarters (3/4) of the way through the reel; and

(E)   at the end of the reel (within the last ten (10) frames).

(6)   The maximum residual thiosulfate ion concentration for the master record shall not exceed 0.014 grams per square meter for records of permanent value or 0.030 grams per square meter for microfilm that the Archives and Records Commission has authorized for destruction within fifty years as determined by the methylene blue method for measuring thiosulfate as specified in ANSI/NAPM IT 9.1-1992, "Imaging Media (Film)—Silver-Gelatin Type—Specifications for Stability (revision and redesignation of ANSI PH 9.1-1989)." The residual thiosulfate ion test shall be performed in accordance with procedures outlined in ANSI/ISO 417-1993; ANSI/NAPM IT9.17-1993, "Determination of Residual Thiosulfate and other Related Chemicals in Processed Photographic Materials-Methods Using Iodine-Amylose, Methylene Blue and Silver Sulfide" (revision and redesignation of ANSI PH 4.8-1985), whenever any change in film, chemicals, or processing is made. Regular test periods should be observed, and if any reading of more than 0.014 grams per square meter occurs, the test shall be performed on a daily basis until the condition is corrected. The silver densitometric method, as outlined in ANSI/ISO 417-1993; ANSI/NAPM IT9.17-1993, "Determination of Residual Thiosulfate and other Related Chemicals in Processed Photographic Materials-Methods Using Iodine-Amylose, Methylene Blue and Silver Sulfide" (revision and redesignation of ANSI 4.8-1985), may be used for routine daily analysis providing the density stain differential produced in this method is no greater than 0.02, but this test is not a sufficiently reliable substitute for the methylene blue method required by this section.

(7)   Archival quality as defined in ANSI/NAPM IT9.1-1992, "Imaging Media (Film)—Silver- Gelatin Type—Specifications for Stability (revision and redesignation of ANSI PH9.1-1989)" is required for records with a retention requirement greater than ten (10) years except that thermally processed silver film (TPS) is acceptable as the master negative for microfilm that the Archives and Records Commission has authorized as permanent. The master record must be stored in accordance with ANSI IT9.11, "Imaging Media-Processed Safety Photographic Film—Storage (revision and and redesignation of ANSI PH1.43-1985)."

(8)   Retakes, properly identified, may be spliced to either the beginning or end of the reel containing the images for which the retakes are necessary. Splices shall be butt welded or by use of photographic splicing tape or ultrasonic splicer. Retakes, properly identified, may be produced as a separate reel. Splices within the sequence of filmed documents are not acceptable.

(9)   Requests for destruction of records that have been microfilmed must include quality evaluation forms from the Micrographics Section of the Records Management Division of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries or authorized personnel in other micrographics laboratories certified by the State Records Administrator certifying that the microfilm meets the above standards for identification, photographic quality, and storage.

[Source: Amended at 12 Ok Reg 1331, eff 6-1-95]