Preservation Microfilming

Academic Microforms are specialists in understanding the preservation microfilming, digital imaging and conservation requirements of archives and libraries.

Formats:
We are the UK experts in the origination of top quality 35mm preservation master negatives for archives, libraries, micropublishers and academic researchers and for digitising purposes.

Standards:
Our microforms are suitable for archival, security, micropublishing, research and digitising purposes. They are fully titled and produced to the highest national and international standards (AIIM, ANSI, BSI, ISO, JIS, etc.). Resolution, density and image integrity are all carefully checked guaranteeing high quality images even from the most difficult originals.

Editing:
All our films are edited and titled in-house maximising control and guaranteeing an easily usable end-product. All our microforms carry the full complement of bibliographic and quality control targets required by international standards.

Technical quality:
We employ only the highest quality equipment, film stocks, processing and chemicals. Processing is regularly monitored using the very latest methylene blue test as laid down in national and international standards (BS.5706; ANSI.PH.4.8.1971; ISO.417, etc.) All our cameras are carefully tested to produce maximum system resolving power and resolution is checked on a regular basis using high power microscopes. Contrast and density are both carefully measured thus ensuring maximum image quality from even poor quality originals.

Colour:
Our special knowledge and expertise in the production of colour microforms is widely acknowledged and we have advised the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the International Standards Organisation (ISO) on the matter of colour microfilming recommendations. It should be noted that colour microfilms are composed of dye images and are consequently not regarded as being archivally permanent. However, where colour originals are to be microfilmed in a preservation environment we recommend that a colour digital copy of the film be made on Kodak Ultima CD-R discs which have an enhanced storage life. Please enquire for further details of this service.

Location filming:
We are experienced in on-site filming with the maximum of security and the absolute minimum of inconvenience. Essential where rare and ancient manuscripts or incunabula are too valuable to be easily moved. Travel and accommodation costs are tightly controlled and we are able to microfilm at any location within the European Economic Union. We specialise in the British Isles and have experience of locations from the Highlands of Scotland in the north to the Channel Islands in the south. We maintain a number of cameras permanently sited in several major London libraries.

Medieval manuscripts:
We have a greater experience of handling this class of document than any other commercial microfilm unit in the UK. A numerous and wide variety of manuscripts dating from the 6th to the 16th centuries has been filmed by us in monochrome and colour. We are specialists in the production of high quality colour microfilms of illuminated manuscripts.

Charters:
Unbound manuscripts including rolls, charters, deeds, letters close and patent and many others can all be microfilmed and we have a vast experience in handling all types of document supports including parchment, paper, papyrus, silk, etc.

Letters, correspondence, etc:
Post medieval manuscripts including letters, deeds, literary manuscripts, conveyances, sketch books, note books, journals, and many other types of document can be safely microfilmed to extremely high standards.

Genealogical data:
Parish registers, court and ecclesiastical records, family trees and pedigrees, heraldic grants, etc., may all be microfilmed for archival, conservation, research and security reasons.

Incunabula and rare books:
Our experience in microfilming this class of documents is rivaled in the UK only by the great institutions of the British Library and the National Library of Scotland. We are skilled in the handling of delicate papers and fragile bindings. We do not use any kind of commercially produced book-press but have developed our own techniques for this type of work guaranteed to protect your treasured originals.

Oriental manuscripts and books:
We are skilled in filming all types of oriental manuscripts including Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Moghul, Pali, Panjabi, Persian, Prakrit, Sanskrit, Turkish, etc., etc., and can handle MSS. on a variety of supports including bark, palm-leaves, papyrus, and silk. All oriental MSS. are filmed in the correct position for right-reading whether the MSS. are written right-to-left, left-to-right, or in columns.

Oversize volumes:
We have a specially modified camera which enables us to photograph extremely thick books without the need for disbinding. Bound volumes up to a maximum thickness of 15 inches (38cm) can be accommodated - almost three times the thickness of any commercially available microfilm camera.

Newspapers, journals and periodicals:
We are skilled in the production of microfilms of all types of newspapers from the earliest broadsheets to the latest multi-coloured tabloids. Most sizes of newspapers can be accommodated - bound or unbound - and all our microfilms carry the information targets required by national and international standards.

Costs:
Despite the high quality of our work our long experience enables us to keep costs to the minimum. We are aware of the special budgetary requirements of libraries, archives and academics and offer maximum service-to-cost ratio.

Equipment:
We do not market equipment but can advise clients on the purchase and installation of most types of microform equipment including readers, reader-printers, digital microform printers, and microform storage cabinets, etc.

Information:
If you are currently contemplating a preservation microfilming or digitising project, large or small, within the European Community, please write, call, fax or e-mail our addresses/numbers for further details. Contact us. We are here to solve your specialist microfilming and digitising problems.