Security Questions Most Organizations Forget to Ask During Microfilm Conversion

Once You've Decided to Digitize Your Microfilm, Security Becomes Part of the Project

By now, you've likely evaluated the condition of your collection and started thinking about conversion.  Maybe you've discovered signs of deterioration. Maybe you're dealing with aging reader-printers. Maybe you're simply trying to make records more accessible to staff and the public.  If you haven't already, our article "Is Your Microfilm in a Pickle...or Does It Just Smell That Way?" explains how to identify common deterioration issues such as Vinegar Syndrome and Redox before they become larger preservation problems.

Whatever brought you here, you've made an important decision:

It's time to digitize your microfilm.

The next question isn't about image quality, indexing, or file formats.  It's about trust.  Once your microfilm leaves your building, who is responsible for protecting it?

Question #1: Who Is Transporting the Records?

Many microfilm collections contain sensitive information:

• Personnel records
• Student records
• Court records
• Property records
• Engineering drawings
• Financial records
• Public safety records

Before records leave your facility, ask:

• Who will transport them?
• Is transportation documented?
• Can the collection be tracked throughout the project?
• What procedures are in place if materials are lost or damaged?

A documented chain of custody helps ensure accountability from pickup through final delivery.  After all, records cannot be preserved unless they are first protected.

Question #2: Who Has Physical Access to the Records?

Once records arrive at a conversion facility, who can access them?  This question often receives less attention than it should.

Organizations should understand:

• Where records are stored
• Who can enter production areas
• Whether visitor access is restricted
• How materials are secured when not being processed

The fewer people with access to sensitive records, the lower the overall risk.  Security isn't simply about protecting records from bad actors.  It's also about preventing accidental mishandling, loss, or exposure.

Question #3: How Are Confidential Records Handled?

Not every collection contains the same level of sensitivity.  A reel of historical newspapers presents different risks than a reel containing employee files, student records, law enforcement records, or court documents.

Organizations should ask:

• How are confidential records identified?
• Are special handling procedures used?
• How are restricted collections segregated?
• What training do employees receive?

Understanding how confidential information is protected should be part of every vendor evaluation.

Question #4: Who Can Access the Digital Images?

Security doesn't end when scanning begins.  In many ways, digital security becomes even more important.

Questions worth asking include:

• Who can view scanned images?
• Are user permissions controlled?
• Are access attempts logged?
• Are repositories secured?
• How long do files remain on production systems?

The goal of digitization is improved accessibility.  The goal is not unrestricted accessibility.  Strong access controls ensure the right people can access information without creating unnecessary exposure.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Digital Preservation Program identifies authenticity, accountability, and controlled access as important components of maintaining trustworthy digital records over time.

Question #5: Where Are the Files Stored?

Once records have been converted, where do they go?  The answer should be clear.

Organizations should understand:

• Where files are stored during production
• How files are transferred
• Whether storage systems are encrypted
• How backups are protected
• How long files remain available

Creating digital files is only part of the responsibility.  Protecting them is the other part.  The Library of Congress Digital Preservation Program emphasizes that long-term access depends on more than digitization alone. Storage management, monitoring, migration planning, and ongoing stewardship all play important roles in keeping information accessible for future generations.

Question #6: How Is Accountability Maintained?

Every organization should understand how actions are documented throughout a project.  This is where audit trails become important.

Auditability helps answer questions such as:

• Who accessed a collection?
• When was it processed?
• Who created or modified files?
• What actions occurred during the project?

Good security is not simply about preventing problems.  It's about being able to demonstrate what happened if questions arise later.

Question #7: Are Employees Screened and Trained?

Your records may pass through multiple hands during a conversion project.  That makes personnel practices an important part of security.

Ask potential providers:

• Are background checks performed?
• What training is required?
• Are employees authorized for sensitive projects?
• Are security policies documented and enforced?

People are often the most important part of any security program.  Technology can help. Trust begins with the individuals handling the records.

Security Is a Process, Not a Feature

Many organizations evaluate conversion vendors primarily on:

1. Price
2. Turnaround time
3. Equipment
4. Image quality

Those factors matter.  But security deserves equal attention.  A provider's ability to protect records throughout transport, handling, processing, storage, and delivery may ultimately be more important than the scanner being used.  Because if security fails, image quality becomes irrelevant.

How Intellinetics Approaches Security

At Intellinetics, security is incorporated throughout the conversion process through practices that include:

• Michigan State Police background checks
• FBI CJIS Level 1 and Level 2 certified personnel
• Controlled production environments
• Restricted employee access
• Secure electronic repositories
• Documented chain-of-custody procedures

These controls help protect records from the moment they leave your facility until the final files are delivered.

The Best Time to Ask These Questions Is Before the Project Starts

When organizations decide to digitize microfilm, most focus on what they'll gain:

• Better access.
• Improved searchability.
• Reduced reliance on aging equipment.
• Long-term preservation.

Those benefits are real.  But before a single reel leaves your building, make sure you're asking the questions that protect the records themselves.  Because successful conversion projects aren't defined only by the quality of the images they produce.  They're also defined by how well the information was protected along the way.