Quality Control
The technical quality of all microfilm production at the Imaging Centre is measured by the standards ie. for compliance with desired measurements for Resolution, Density & Hypo residual. After production, the microfilm masters must be stored correctly to ensure their longevity.
Image CaptureEach roll and microfiche is checked prior to duplicating to ensure the images have been captured - this involves visual scanning of each image to ensure readability and following pagination (where available) to ensure completeness.
ResolutionEach film includes resolution test charts for the measurement of the ability of the system (camera, film & processing) to produce sufficiently sharp images on the camera master. A roll by roll record of this reading will be kept on the Centre's database.
DensityThe d.max (background density) of each film is tested using a densitometer to ensure compliance with the relevant standards or client specifications. A roll by roll record of this reading is kept on the Centre's database.
Processing (Hypo Residual)At regular intervals (roughly quarterly) samples of microfilm processed at the Centre are sent to a testing laboratory for methylene blue testing to assess compliance with archival standards for residual chemistry (too much can cause degeneration of the image-carrying emulsion layer). The compliance of all our films is extrapolated from these test results.
Storage ConditionsThe Micrographics Centre stores the University's microfilm masters in a facility in surburban Melbourne. This facility has been designed to comply with the standards for storage of silver films.
Film InspectionsRegular inspections of the University's microfilm masters in storage are carried out and reported to the Manager, Records Services.