Records and Information Management has a special climate-controlled room dedicated to the storage of original microfilm/microfiche records. These documents were created prior to 2001 when the UM System had its own micrographics center.  

Vendor information is available if you are interested in microfilming current records.  

  • American Micro
    • Address: 1933 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO 64108-1727 
    • Phone: 816-221-0123
  • Microtek Document Imaging Systems, Inc. 
    • Contact: Mark Sandheinrich 
    • Address: 2282 Weldon Parkway, St. Louis, MO 63146 
    • Phone: 314-872-3322
    • Fax: 314-872-3377 fax
    • Email: mlsands@microtekstl.com  

Requirements for University Departments and Microfilm Vendors

University departments are responsible for the payment of all microfilming services provided by vendors. 

University records sent to vendors for microfilming include a wide array of records, including many that are highly confidential. All records received by vendors from University departments shall be considered confidential. The contents of records shall not be disclosed or released by the vendor, or any of its agents, to any individual outside or within the University without approval of the director of Records Management.  

The vendor shall enforce confidentiality rules among its employees and agents and shall permit access to University records only on an as-needed basis to complete microfilming projects. 

The vendor is to coordinate with university departments to determine if records sent for microfilming may be disposed of by the vendor. If a department does not know if the records may be disposed of, Records Management can provide guidance.  

When records can be destroyed after they have been microfilmed, it may be less expensive to have the vendor shred the records than ship them back to the department.  

When disposal of records by the vendor is permitted, the vendor must provide a signed certificate of disposition to the university department and director of Records Management. Disposal of such records must be done in such a manner to ensure confidentiality of the records. 

 

Document preparation includes the removal of all staples, paper clips and other fasteners, unfolding pages, taping tears, placing the records in correct filming order and appropriate heading direction. When tape is used for document repairs, the tape shall be Scotch "Magic Tape" or similar tape that becomes invisible on the paper.  

Depending on the needs of university departments, document preparation may be done by either the university departments or the vendor.  

Microfilm Formats 

There are five (5) source document microfilm formats. The format to use is influenced by the type of records and how you use them. 

  • Roll (Open Spool): The roll is called "open spool" because the film is rolled on a reel. The advantages of the roll are the lower cost because less labor and supplies are required in production. The disadvantages are the retrieval rate is slow, it's hard to update and only one person at a time can see the images covered by the roll of film. 
  • Roll (Cartridge): The "cartridge" is roll film placed inside a special container (cartridges). The advantages of the cartridge are the availability of self-threading microfilm readers. The disadvantages of the cartridge are it’s not easily updated, time and cost of indexing, cost of the cartridges and microfilm readers are reasonably expensive. 
  • Jackets: Jackets are a unitized format that are normally used for records that average 40 or more images per folder and may require updating at various times. Jackets come in a variety of sizes and are available for both 16mm and 35mm microfilm. The standard size 4x6 inch jacket can hold up to 60 images. The jacket is similar in function to the file folder and can be used in the same manner. The advantages of jackets are it permits updating by adding images to the jackets, permits interfiling of the jackets regardless of when produced, jackets can be color coded to enhance filing, and permits access to the files by multiple people. The disadvantages of jackets are higher product cost because of greater labor and supply cost, limited file integrity because jackets can be removed and lost, or can be misfiled. 
  • Aperture Cards (16mm): Aperture cards are a unitized format that are normally used for records that average 25 or fewer documents per folder and may require updating at various times. The aperture card looks like the computing tab card except with channels to insert microfilm images. The advantages of the 16mm aperture card are the ability to update by adding images to the card, permits interfiling of the cards regardless of when produced, can be machine addressed, notes and information can be penciled on the card and can be color coded to improve filing, and permits access to the files by multiple people. The disadvantages of aperture cards are the higher labor and supply cost and limited file integrity because the cards can be lost or misfiled. 
  • Aperture Cards (35mm): 35 mm aperture cards are used to hold engineering draws and maps. There is only one image per card. The advantages of the 35mm aperture card are it can be machined addressed, has space for making notes, can be interfiled, and can be color coded to improve filing. The disadvantages of a 35mm aperture card are the high cost of readers and reader-printers and cards cannot be updated as they only contain space for one image. 

If you need assistance with any microfilmed records, please contact the records department at recordsmanagement@umsystem.edu or 573-882-5955.