The Green Sheet 012

INCORPORATING THE MICROGRAPHICS MARKET PLACE AND THE MICROGRAPHICS NEWSLETTER DECEM BER 2002

ISSN 1476-3842

ISSUE No. 12

The Changing Role of Records Management For those of you who have been following the series of articles entitled "The Changing Role of Records Management" by David Aspinall, you will be pleased to learn that there are to be two forums in March 2003 to coincide with the climax of the series.

They are being organised as a Green Sheet initiative, with the full support of the BSI (British Standards Institute).

The seminars will take place at the University of Manchester on Wednesday 12th March, followed by one in the British Library, London on Tuesday 18th March and will include prominent speakers from the British Standards Institute, the Records Management Society of GB, the Society of Archivists, the British Library and industry specialists.

There is no escaping the fact that information is king.

Today our working lives are determined daily by a constant stream of data and content, both virtual and physical. As technology moves forward the capacity, not only for handling information, but also, significantly, generating it, grows ever larger. Such a proliferation of information necessitates tighter regulation on how it is produced, accessed, stored and, in the longer term, preserved.

Organisations have to face up to the volume of information they hold and tackle it strategically as an issue before it becomes a problem; it's all too easy to be caught out as recent financial scandals have demonstrated very clearly.

Organisations have to find document and record management solutions which can accommodate their corporate needs and fulfil their statutory and legal obligations in the long term whether that is 5, 10, 50 or a hundred years or more. Records are evidence and as such, the accessibility of the information in the distant future is a critical consideration for how it is managed today.

So, where to start? Designing, implementing and integrating a well-defined Records Management solution requires the right blend of knowledge and skills. The Records Management programme, which IMUniversity.co.uk are offering in 2003, focuses on the complete process of building a records management system from analysis and design through to implementation.

The seminars will very much concentrate on the practicalities of introducing effective records management systems in the e-Business environment and the associated delegate packs will include BSI PD0025-1 and -2 Effective Records Management, Management Guide and Practical Implementation.

The seminar packs will also include information on further sources, reading and training. All delegates also receive 6 months free subscription to The Green Sheet!

The full programme and costs will be included in the January issue o f The Green Sheet and further details may be obtained from <timnixon@green-sheet.net> or <d_aspinall@btconnect.com>.

Alternatively call Tim Nixon on 024 7638 2328.

The four-day programme provides intensive coverage of all forms of records management but looks in particular at m anaging records in the electronic environment. Providing a robust grounding in the essential principles of Records Management, the syllabus then moves on to examine it in the context of an organisation's wider objectives and corporate strategy paying attention to legal and regulatory compliance and corporate governance.

Delegates not only tackle the technical and organisational challenges of developing a system, but also learn about the enabling technologies available, explore business models and look at how to construct the underlying justification for investment. The programme considers the wider cultural complexities of introducing a new system and how to approach the change management involved in implementation.

Run in partnership with the University of Northumbria, the Records Management programme is just one of the Information Management programmes designed to equip managers, administrators and IT practitioners with the correct balance of business and technical competence to tackle projects effectively.

IMUniversity.co.uk will also deliver programmes on Document Management CDIA+ and XML Technology for Business in 2003.

For further information about the Records Management programme or any other aspect o f IMUniversity.co.uk, please telephone Angela on 01905 727613 or visit the website at www. imuniversity. co. uk.

Advertising Rates 2002

| INCORPORATING THE MICROGRAPHICS MARKET PIECE END THE NICROGREPHICS NEWSLETTER

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Cost US $2016.00 US $1120.00 U S$ 910.00 U S$ 560.00 U S$ 350.00 U S$ 455.00 U S$ 210.00

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

M AN AG IN G MOMENTS IN TIM E................ ..............................3-6

Contact Tim Nixon at

JACKET SYSTEMS (Feature)........................... ............................7-11

THE

THE CH A N G IN G ROLE OF

GREEN SHEET

RECORDS M ANAGEM ENT (Part 4 ) .............. ......................... 12-13 US ROLL-UPS .& TAKE-OVERS........................ ......................... 14-15

on. (0 )2 4 7 6 3 6 2 3 2 6 US ROUNDUP................................................. ......................... 16-19 READERS' LETTERS.......................................... ......................... 20-21

or email: sales@green sheet.net

COM BINING ARCHIVE MEDIUMS................ ............................... 22

MANAGING MOMENTS IN TIME A new strategy for protecting e-business processes from fraud, loss and litigation

by H. Andrew Lawrence, Worldwide Product Marketing Manager for Document Imaging, Eastman Kodak Company "Raise your right mouse button and solemnly swear...'

The not-so-hidden liabilities acquired by wiring the corporation can be highlighted by considering some real-life proceedings: Justice Department v. Microsoft.

Poorly managed email provided evidence that probably added to the duration of antitrust proceedings and the millions of legal fees incurred. One can only estimate the additional opportunity dollars lost in marketing delays.

Prudential Insurance Company of America.1 Cited in court for a haphazard and uncoordinated approach to document retention that denied its opponents potential evidence to establish facts in dispute. Unintentional or not, the oversight was grounds for a $1 million fine.

George W. Bush v.

Corporate America.

Amid fallout sparked by Enron's collapse and Arthur Andersen's fall from grace, the President has put CEOs in the hot seat.

His message is "Tell the truth or else." Congress and the SEC want the whole truth.

Fen/phen wrongful death class action suit.2 Experts estimated that the cost to restore emails from backup tapes to satisfy the discovery process could go as high as $1.75 million. Facing a hostile court, defendant Wyeth settled for over $3 billion dollars.

On-line fraud.

An estimated 9 percent of all business-to-consumer on-line purchase transactions are challenged by consumers.

With no written credit card receipt, many companies simply settle as the cheap way out.

LOOK AT YOUR BUSINESS. BLINK. NOW IT'S CHANGED. BLINK. CHANGED AGAIN. Welcome to the wired century. Where CEO, CFO, and CIO convene to manage a web of converging acronyms. ERP, B2C, B2B, and B2G. Plus CRM. As business leverages technology the opportunities are great.

So are the risks. Who has time to keep track of the flood of electronic business transactions?

WHO DID WHAT TO WHOM? AND WHO KNEW AND WHEN? The real question is, who can afford not to keep track?

Implied contracts. Documentation of intellectual ownership of ideas. Corroboration of regulatory compliance. Valuable legal evidence. All gone in an instant as proof goes poof.

Meanwhile, anonymous unsavory people are scouring the Web for ill-gotten gains. Jittery markets drag down share prices at the slightest rumour.

Ambitious politicians and contingency lawyers are watching for vulnerabilities.

Any business can make a mistake or a poor judgment call. But it's particularly painful when a loss or failure is caused by the very technologies meant to facilitate doing business. And the consequences of nonexistent or unmanaged e-business records can bring the mightiest of enterprises to its knees. However, we should not blame technology for our shortsightedness.

WE NEED TO 'PUT IT ON THE RECORD." FOR GOOD. Here's the problem in a nutshell. New business models and new business processes have not been matched by new records management strategies. Dependency on digital records alone induces unnecessary risk and expense.

Digital files are susceptible to corruption and alteration. Hardware and software technology systems are required to access, reconstruct and render records into human-readable form. This process is easily attacked in litigation short term.

Over the long term, as technology evolves, the records will become inaccessible or unreliable due to inaccurate rendering. Thus, they will not be available when most needed. ,The solution is a simple concept: reference archiving. A system based on integrated imaging technology from Kodak takes "snapshots" of electronic transactions at the moment they occur. These snapshots render the digital documents to an analogue format, avoiding the pitfalls of a digital-only strategy.

The analogue renderings remain human readable without compiling. They retain all of the elements of the original document. Records are stored on a digitally accessible, offline media that is sustainable at practically no cost. The records are secured from deliberate alterations, such as security breaches, and from accidental destruction, as when backup tapes are erased and reused.

The Reference Archive so created is a trustworthy way to validate transactions short-term, and provides immediate and long-term legal protection. The nanoseconds may pass, but you will know that the records of those moments will endure.

There are many applications for a trustworthy record of electronic activities. Audit trails no longer rely on obsolescence-prone electronic technology. These records can enable your business to collect moneys due it, enforce contracts, counter fraudulent claims and blunt the impact of litigation.

A Reference Archive can also enable your company to protect its rights to intellectual assets. Examples include patent development, drug trials and copyrighted material. When necessary, a full, cogent record can be produced to document your claims to ownership quickly and economically.

The list of possible applications goes on.

Documentation for SEC filings. Transaction logs. FDA compliance. Support for customer service dispute resolution. Patient charts. Evidence of regulatory proceedings. HR activities. Whatever is important to your business.

A QUIET WATCHDOG THAT'S THERE WHEN YOU NEED HIM. As currently envisioned, reference archiving would take place automatically in the background. The system would "know" when and what to record according to your rules. These records would be managed according to preset indices. Such a defined, "clean" recording process would facilitate the legal admissibility of the records.

Current estimates of the annual total cost of ownership for online storage run as high as $2,302 per gigabyte(1). A Reference Archive allows your IT department to cut expenses by reducing the amount of data "under head" in servers. Instead of keeping everything for an indefinite period of time, IT can purge data systematically without fear of losing any important records.

Operationally, the Reference Archive removes barriers to e-commerce by providing transaction backup that's otherwise unavailable. When questions came up or transactions were challenged, they could be met quickly and settled with a minimum of financial impact. Programmed destruction could be included as part of a defined records management strategy to limit exposure.

Visit T H E GREEN SH EET Web Site at: www.green-sheet.net

A PRACTICAL STRATEGY WHOSE TIME HAS COME. Reference archiving solutions for e-business will be available soon. Most of the pieces required are in use already, including hardware, software and media from Kodak. Many document imaging applications are rendering analogue copies of the images to Reference Archive media. When needed, the records are re-digitised and managed electronically.

Various software developers are hard at work on front ends to serve this analogue rendering system. Proof-ofconcept e-commerce and e-mail solutions are not far off.

Trusted third-party ASPs are available to manage reference archiving for you. You can leverage your existing infrastructure without capital investment.

Analogue rendering makes the records in the Reference Archive technology independent. No software is required to interpret them, freeing you from expensive migration schemes. The media is certified for 500 years; no refreshes required. There's no requirement to maintain or emulate the current technology platform - soon to be a legacy system - that created the moment in time. You get a lower total cost of ownership and a chance to invest in forwardlooking opportunities.

The challenge is that the e-document we're chasing is the embodiment of the word "ephemeral." The container is an image on a display screen. The information presented in that container is pulled from many sources. Many of those sources are themselves dynamic - e.g., pricing, specifications, account balances, inventory and so on.

If you later try to recreate that page, any change or lack of completeness triggers the suspicion that the proxy is not identical to the original. The trustworthiness of the entire event and underlying process becomes suspect.

A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE ON E-RECORD KEEPING In his capacities as writer and consultant. Attorney Randy Kahn specializes in legal issues pertaining to e-commerce. Here are some of his observations on the subject: E-records usually consist of multiple packets of data that are rarely stored in one physical location. Quite often in cyberspace, the content is the only part of the record that is retained. That's the equivalent of taking a paper business letter, cutting off the date and salutation and putting it in one file, cutting off the signature and putting it in another file, and placing the body of the letter in yet another file. Separately, the units of those documents are rather useless for record-keeping purposes(2).

To y o u r d e s k t o p . . . a n d b e y o n d .

T h e I n t e l l ig e n t M ic r o im a g e S c a n n e r .

microfilm

microimage scanner

your PC

e-mail

m m wa Internet/intranet

fa x

Kodak gets you

Now you can distribute m icrofilm docum ents around the w orld with the KO D A K D IG IT A L S C IE N C E ™ In telligen t M icro im age Sca n n e r.

S c a n up to 20 film im ages per minute at 99.5% a c c u ra c y . Then retrieve, edit, dow nload or send docum ents e le c tro n ica lly with your PC. W hat's more, no other s c a n n e r in its c la s s can m atch it fo r com bined sp e e d , re liab ility or cu sto m er su p p o rt— w h ere ve r and w h en e ver you need it. A fter all, it’s a sm all world.

k odak. c om/ g o/ i nt eg r a t edi ma g i ng

Kodak and D igital Science are tradem arks of Eastman Kodak Company. © Eastman Kodak Company, 2002

INTELLIGENT MICROIMAGE SCANNER

n o v a tio n yo u c a n c o u n t on'"

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PAGE 6

The Enron/Andersen story is a stark reminder that managing company records requires directives for normal operations and altogether different rules when litigation, audits, or investigation strike. Intentional destruction of evidence has devastated reputations, slashed stock prices, and raised the ire of regulators.

The monetary — and perhaps even criminal — exposure a company may face as a result of the destruction of records can be mitigated by implementing policies that dictate employee conduct... Indeed, when a court recently imposed a seven-figure penalty on a financial services company in a high-profile lawsuit, it noted that it was not the destruction of the records which prompted the penalty, but rather, the company's failure to have a policy in place to ensure that records were not destroyed.

S eeing is perceiving — and believ in g .

Data base vie w

Desktop v iew

of an event in cyberspace. You simply look up the record of any transaction in question. You are presented with all of the layers of data in context. You can see and comprehend all four corners of the activity immediately.

And there's no delay or uncertainty caused by reconstruction from source data.

COMPLETE THE CYCLE OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT WITH A REFERENCE ARCHIVE. Recent history has underlined the value of disaster recovery plans. With back up systems and secure data stores, you can get business processes back on line. Your revenue stream continues.

Now it's time to invest in a Reference Archive to protect the continuity of business activities and transactions.

When you need it, you'll have proof — of ownership, of contract, and of compliance. You'll be able to refer to the original content, presented completely and in context.

office hardware, ltd. O

_____ —I

I

rriiu n . .t i i m " ...™ . il

i

i~™~ i Which presents the most complete record?

CUT BY THE DUAL-EDGED SWORD OF CONTENT MANAGEMENT. Paper documents nicely merge content with context.

Everything relevant to a transaction appeared on the face of the page — date of execution, parties involved, subject, and signature. All collected in one place, clearly visible in context relative to the other components.

But paper is static. Business benefits from being able to manage content in a much more fluid, distributed fashion. The power of ERP, CRM, and other systems is the ability to customize how we view the data to our heart's content. Combine this dynamism with networked communications, and the transitory edocument is born.

An e-document's components may be pulled from multiple physical storage locations and mapped into a structure. The email, order form, or Web page you interact with is a layered construct. It includes data content, and its context. Metadata defines the relationship between the parts, structure, and attachments, such as e-signatures at a moment in time.

A n E-record is a multi-layered thing Desktop Presentation Data Content Context

Structure E-signature Attachments

But this delicate structure is easily undermined. Viruses scramble hard drives. Backup tapes get mislaid.

Relentless hackers penetrate firewalls. Lose or alter any component or interconnection and the edocument is changed. When a question arises, you can no longer prove agreement, acceptance, or authenticity.

CAPTURE THE MOMENT. KEEP IT INTACT. The Reference Archive negates any questions about the validity

Reference archiving can be much more than a defensive strategy. It also gives managers another window into their business via records that would otherwise be unavailable or burdensome to recreate. Processes can be analyzed to uncover best practices. Decisions can be made based on definitive information rather than guesses. Which should feed back into revenue growth and better profitability for your business.

1. September 2000 Gartner Group study, includes hardware, software, and human resources.

2. Building Good Electronic Evidence, Published in Digital Discovery & e-Evidence, Vol. 1, No. 9, October 2001, Randolph Kahn, ESQ., Kahn Consulting, Inc. 3. Two Faces of Records Destruction: Records Management Has Never Been More Important and More Challenging, Randolph Kahn, ESQ., Kahn Consulting, Inc. Choose your link to reference archiving. www.AMIBusiness.com AMI Document Accessibility and Security www.arma.org Association of Record Managers and Administrators www. cohasset. com Cohasset Associates, Inc., IT management consulting www.Datawitness.net Data Witness, Online registration of secure documents www.digitalpreservation.org Digital Preservation issues www. eistrea m.com eiStream, Inc., Document management solutions and services www. kahnconsultinginc. com Kahn Consulting, E-business legal consulting www.kodak.com/go/docimaging Kodak site for document imaging www. kodak, com/go/imagelinkservices KODAK Document Conversion Centers www.kofax.com Document capture and archiving solutions

JA C K E T SYSTE M S ÂŤ JA C K E T S YSTE M S ÂŤ JA C K E T SYSTE M S ÂŤ JA C K E T SYSTEM S

Microfilm J (3 1 S lon^slde naw t -i ~

Using jackets as a means of storing microfilm has been considered by some as a labour intensive method, almost being seen as putting people off using microfilm.

However The Green Sheet has been investigating this particular application and has been very surprised by some of the responses, in particular the new ways that jackets are being used. Some of the case studies printed here give you more of an insight but they can be summed up as follows.

Jackets have traditionally been used in microfilm applications where the client has needed, either to see a complete file all in one place, rather than spread over several rolls of film, or where the file may have to be updated at various times in the future.

The two main conventional applications were building societies, where mortgage records need to be kept for many years, but where there are regular updates due to house sales and purchases plus, of course, changes in interest rates etc. Secondly are the insurance companies where life insurance policies, for example, need to be kept

o

I o ^j v

secure for up to 100 years plus (see front page article of issue 9 of The Green Sheet). These tend to lay dormant for several years at a time but must be easily and quickly accessible on demand. However jackets have also been used in numerous other applications.

Jacket systems do require the jacket itself to be loaded and indexed (which is why some people see them as too time consuming) but this is no different to the time required to properly index, organise and execute any other efficient filing system whether it be paper or digital. Time spent at the start of a records or document management system indexing and organising can save far more time at the end of the process when the files are being accessed, this is one of the key aspects for any records manager. 16mm microfilm CAR (Computer Aided Retrieval) systems are much quicker to establish and install, but if you need to look at 20 rolls of film to be able to see the complete file on a particular subject or person then access can be quite slow. The same applies to CD's if not stored in a single juke box but stored across several juke boxes and paper, if you don't have a proper indexing system.

Do you use o f the following products on a regular basis?

Jackets

I f the answer is YES, Tel: +44 (0)24 7638 3998 and ask our Sales Dept. for a quotation. op

www.microfilm.com

PAGE 8

JA C K E T SYSTE M S â&#x20AC;˘ JA C K E T S YSTE M S â&#x20AC;˘ JA C K E T S YSTE M S â&#x20AC;˘ JA C K E T SYSTEM S So w hy are jackets being used so w idely still?

1) As mentioned above, where there is a file that is regularly updated jackets have advantages over roll film. This becomes more obvious as the filing system starts to expand. If constant additions to "Joe Bloggs" file are being added to rolls of microfilm then, after a while, if you want to see the whole file you will need to look at several different rolls of film which is time consuming. It is clearly much easier to add the extra images to a jacket when only one jacket needs to be removed from the cabinet and everything else remains in the original location.

2) Jacket/fiche readers are much cheaper than roll film readers, therefore it is cheaper for viewing, to convert roll film to jackets.

3) If the existing application uses COM fiche then it is much cheaper to have any additional conventional microfilm applications converted to jackets so that the existing fiche readers can be utilised rather than all users needing two readers.

4 ) If a decision is made to use fiche/jackets due to the cost of the readers and/or the fact that the file is all in one place, then the relatively high cost and scarcity of step and repeat cameras and fiche COM units make the decision to capture the image, using conventional cameras, on roll film to edit and insert into jackets the obvious option.

5) If you have an application where you want to keep large format items such as X-rays, engineering drawings and old books in close proximity to A4 notes or associated correspondence. Combination jackets allow you to store both 16mm and 35mm images in one place.

6) Jackets and fiche are cheaper and more targeted to duplicate than roll film. An important factor for applications where a security copy needs to be kept.

A ll o f the above advantages o f jacket system s still apply today but, surprisingly, we also found two brand new applications fo r jackets, created b y new technology.

Firstly more and more organisations are outsourcing their document management systems and archives. As a result a large number of bureaux are now storing

FREE INFORMATION G G Baker & Associates - suppliers of unbiased reference works for over 30 years - invite you to use their very extensive website at

www.ggbaker.com The UK's most comprehensive directory of document management products and services.

Tutorials relating to electronic document management, micrographics and hybrid systems.

The con ten t is regularly updated and can be accessed w ith o u t charge.

their clients microfilm files, plus their paper and digital files. The bureau will then scan any required files and email them or web host them for the client. Due to the aforementioned advantages many bureaux are using jackets as the archive storage method because it allows quick access to a whole file and therefore speedier delivery of the digital images to the client. As a general note bureaux are also geared up to create, store and use microfilm therefore end users can have all the benefits of microfilm without any of the perceived and real disadvantages.

Secondly, and very interestingly, people are now requiring older digital images to be downloaded to microfilm for longevity, to free up storage space for only the most current digital files and to archive images from older imaging systems that do not justify the cost of being transferred to the new imaging system. It has been mentioned before that the Singapore government now archives all important e-mails The Kodak Archivewriter promises an exciting new directly to microfilm. The US outlet for jackets and UK censuses both downloaded their scanned images to microfilm for long term, migration-free storage.

Kodak have had considerable success with their Archivewriters and their new digital-to-film service.

Microbox have recently launched the Polycom, Fuji are talking about their FMIP 2000 (though currently for the Japanese market only), Anacomp have launched the IDP 1600 and rumours abound of other large manufacturer's working on their own version of the Archivewriter. Russ Burkel (the man who helped convince Congress of the need to archive the US Census to film) has talked of the need for a more affordable desk top film writer.

As clients have started to go down this route they have created a regular purging timetable so that every month, quarter, year etc. the old digital files are written to film. By it's very nature this means that there are going to be regular updates to "Joe Bloggs" file. Also, a lot of organisations are now using a paper scanner and then an Archivewriter type product as the method to create "near perfect" microfilm with all of the skewed and poor images removed before committing to film. For both methods the same old arguments come into play for using jackets rather than roll film as the format of choice. This is backed up by the sales of Archivewriter film. Originally it was only available in thin base long length, but due to customer demand Kodak quickly brought out a thick base film. The reason for this demand was that some bureaux and end users wanted to put the Archivewriter film into jackets and thick base is ideally suited for jacket loading. Currently approximately 1 in 8 Archivewriter films sold in the UK is now destined for Jackets. For some it was to continue with existing jacket systems and for others it was brand new jacket applications.

So, whether the information you require to be archived is currently in digital form on paper or film, then jackets are the answer if you want to keep files in specific locations and you need to update them.

EXTENSIVE RANGE OF TYPES AND COLOUR STRIPES BESPOKE SPECIFICATIONS CAN BE CONSIDERED JACKETS ON COMPUTER STATIONERY JACKETS CAN BE PRE-PRIWTED W ITH YOUR COMPANY LOGO

THE MICROFILM FACTORY send enquires by email to: factory@microfilm.com

PAGE 10

JA C K E T SYSTE M S â&#x20AC;˘ JA C K E T SYSTE M S â&#x20AC;˘ JA C K E T SYSTE M S â&#x20AC;˘ JA C K E T SYSTEM S

Microfilm in Companies House -

another AGFA success story!

Companies House, formerly Companies Registration Office (CRO), has been in existence since the 1850's incorporating companies, registering statutory documents and providing company "searches."

For the first 120 years of its life if you wanted to see the company record you went along to the CRO, put in a request and waited until the paper original was delivered to you. If someone else was using it you waited in the queue.

That changed in the mid 1970's when the CRO began microfilming documents, created a jacketed microfilm library, moved its headquarters from London to Cardiff but also created a duplicate fiche library in its City Road office. From then on most company "searches" were satisfied by providing diazo copies of the jacketed microfilm records on microfiche. At the same time the Edinburgh office began the same processes for companies registered in Scotland.

Starting with about 10,000 documents per day microfilmed on planetary cameras Companies House now scans more than 20,000 documents per day and as well as outputting to an electronic storage system outputs them on computer microfilm (COM).

There is no longer a duplicate library in City Road but the Cardiff jacketed microfilm library contains approximately 100 million documents - a true compliment to the reliability and performance of AGFA equipment and film stock .

Today's advances in computer technology have encouraged customers to switch to electronic images as a medium for receiving company information. More than 90% of company searches

are now made through electronic image based systems - a much faster and cost effective method.As a result, Companies House will stop updating its jacketed microfilm libraries at the end of this year and a microfiche-based archive search product will be available from January 2003.

This service - known affectionately as SCUD - or Scan Upon Demand, is all based around Agfa's well proven ImageDesk and Agfa Image Capture software, of which Companies House have over 30 units in a specially designated area. Here, suitably trained personnel - working a 2 shift system to cope with the heavy demand for up to date information, digitise the microfilm records from the original fiche - some more than 30 years old. Once converted into electronic format, it's a simple process to save the new 'electronic documents' ready for distribution via email, fax or printed as requested. Agfa are one of the few companies capable of combining a complete end to end migration of traditional storage and archive media, with the latest in e-commerce web based applications.

Being fully scalable, the AGFA solution can simply be upgraded as demand increases, and the quality of the original AGFA microfilm ensures that clients digital output is every bit as clear and legible as the original was when it was microfilmed.

To find out how your organisation can benefit from Agfa's traditional microfilm based solutions - or the new range of digital systems for Intranet or Internet, call us now on 020 8231 4992, or visit the web site w w w .aqfa.co.uk/m ds After all, if our solutions have been chosen by the Organisation that is legally charged with the storage & archiving of your Companies valuable documents, don't you owe it to yourself to see what Agfa can do for you?

Jacket use shows continuing trend Marathon the U.K. south coast based scanning and microfilming bureau has noticed a continuing trend in the use of microfiche jacket systems for certain applications. In particular personnel, financial and archeological data.

These systems generally require the ability to update the fiche and, of course, jackets have always had this facility and advantage over other microfilm formats and also CD's which require rewriting.

Marathon also provides an archive facility by storing the jacket masters as a disaster recovery protection and for ease of updating. Marathon is

able to provide a print out service so the customer does not need special equipment for printing. Among their clients currently using jacket systems are CIBA Vision and Grosvenor Group. Marathon also have on their client list several archivists and historical societies.

Of course the overiding reason for the archivists use of a microfilm system will always be its true archival life.

Contact: Andy Richards, Marathon Microfilm, 27-29 St. Mary's Place, Kingsway, Southampton SOM 3HY. Tel: +44 (0)23 8022 0481 Fax: +44 (0)23 8023 0452 Email: sales@marathonmicro.com

JA C K E T SYSTE M S • JA C K E T SYSTE M S • JA C K E T SYSTE M S • JA C K E T SYSTEM S

JACKET SYSTEM FOR PATIENT RECORDS Medrex Systems Ireland Ltd., a Limerick based service bureau, has been providing microfilm in jackets for the past eighteen years - largely to hospitals throughout the Irish Republic.

A microfilm reader/printer will allow the viewing of each frame of film at original document size and, if required, prints may be made onto A4 plain paper at the push of a button.

The M ethodology

For many years microfilm has proved an excellent archive medium widely used by organisations where the main problems are storage space or the need for a disaster recovery option.

Incoming files are prepared, staples removed, documents unfolded, torn documents repaired etc. The file cover and contents of each file are then filmed onto rolls of 16 mm negative microfilm. Each roll of film contains an average of 2,750 documents, A4 size.

When the films have been processed and approved by the quality control section, duplicate rolls of film are 1produced. One film is then loaded into 5 channel 16mm microfilm jackets. Each jacket will contain up to 70 images. The equivalent of 70 sheets of A4 paper.

The microfilm jackets are then delivered to the client in file number sequence, together with the security roll films and are accompanied by a floppy disc for use on the hospital computer or a computer listing which will indicate the microfilm reference number against each patient name.

The security roll films should be stored in a secure, fireproof environment as a precaution against loss of a microfilm jacket, fire or other disaster.

Automating the Jacketed Microfiche Duplication Process The world's leading high-volume microfiche duplicator, the DataMASTER II, just got even better with Anacomp's latest upgrade to the duplicator's AutoFEED option.

Featuring both vesicular and diazo models, the DataMASTER M's unique, simple-to-use AutoFEED option makes copying a stack of COM masters a breeze.

Now this same technology has been applied to enable users to duplicate a stack of jacketed microfiche as well.

Combined with multiple programming options and the system's AutoSORT sorting capabilities, this new capability makes the DataMASTER II duplicator a very cost-effective solution to the fiche copying needs of businesses and organisations around the globe.

The upgraded AutoFEED option can be field installed to existing DataMASTER II duplicators by an Anacomp service representative or purchased with an additional or replacement duplicator.

Contact Anacomp at 800.920.7378.

When the records are received at the Medrex Data Management Centre, the information relating to each patient:-

Name - Date ofBirth - ID Number - etc.

- will be entered to the specific database on the host computer system and at the same time each record is allocated, with its location reference, in the secure data store.

This enables the retrieval and return of any specific record to the client very quickly should it be required urgently before being microfilmed.

Contact: Medrex Systems Ltd, Limerick Enterprise Park, Roxboro, Limerick, Republic o f Ireland.

Tel: +353 61 400033 Fax: +353 400040 or visit www.medrex-systems.com

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PAGE 12

F E A T U R E •

E R U T A F« FEATURE • FEATURE • FEATURE

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The Changingjiole 4. PICKING YOUR TARGET !

So, in our series to date we have: ^ Found out about our organisation, the context in which it operates and the personalities involved. * We have identified any likely business changes. * We have identified the record keeping systems in place today and probably have a suspect list of any weaknesses in the current approach. * We know the current management drivers.

Our next step is to document the theoretical records management requirements to meet organisational requirements from a statutory and practical point of view. This in itself could be a huge task, and we have to decide very quickly from a pragmatic viewpoint the bounds in which we are expected to work vis-a-vis the environment in which we are operating. For example, we may have been requested to examine record keeping within a complete organisation or just directed to look at purchase ordering within a head office environment. The first exercise could swallow resource as soon as the detailed analysis is required.

The second can not be carried out properly without considering the function of the department relative to the legislative and business environment within which the organisation operates - e.g. the records keeping requirements relating to the purchase of components in medical, airline or power station industries are far more stringent than those required for the purchase of office supplies for a general office.

So, from our mandate we can define "the world" in which we are going to operate - either the whole organisation or the purchasing department in the example above. We now need to identify and record the organisation's requirements to make and keep evidence of the activities of the business unit in a logical way which can easily be updated. Based on our initial analysis discussed earlier in the series we should now: (§) List relevant sources - Or "say where you're coming from". Make a list of all documents we have referenced - both from within the organisation and elsewhere, annual reports, web sites, strategic plans, legislation, policies and procedures, organisational records, standards documents or publications. Also list individuals who have provided information.

You may well have formally visited or chatted but you should document these interviews and include the material in this section. (§) Identify the requirem ents for the business unit you are considering both from a functional point of view (what is the business unit supposed to do?) and from a processes point of view (what needs to happen to perform the function) and then determine the associated record keeping requirements. These requirements fall into three broad categories:

BY DAVID AS PI NALL, 1) Any regulatory requirements. This involves considering each function we identified in our initial analysis and comparing that against the sources we have identified above. Hence we define the theoretical requirements.

2) Any business requirements. Look at existing information relating to the business procedure and talk to the people involved.

We should then be able to determine not only what records are created and held but also the business reasons for doing so.

Although not strictly part o f this exercise, it's very helpful to look a little deeper at the existing record keeping systems in place at this time. In particular, look for duplication o f records. These are often generated by people or departments trying to work round an inadequate or failing system.

3) A ny operational considerations or stakeholder expectations. How is the success o f the records management system measured by various other bodies both internal and external and how does that success (or failure) relate to the main records management functions o f creation, management, access and disposal?

Different stakeholders may well have different views. The immediate process managers may be concerned about the efficiency o f the process in terms o f manpower and storage requirements while external users are more likely to be concerned with the speed and efficiency o f access. Other bodies could equally well be concerned about health and safety ramifications or security.

(§) Catalogue your results. The information you gain is an invaluable resource in itself. The way you choose to hold the information is likely to be dependant on the complexity of the task.

Again, the trusted DIRKS manual comes to our rescue. The appendices give a number of useful examples which can easily be modified to meet our requirements.

See http://www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/dirks/dir ksman/dirks.html. If we have a larger project we can consider the use of spreadsheets of even a simple database. We need to provide enough information so that the resource material can be found again - Title, author, publisher and date for published materials, details of any legal acts and URL and date accessed for web based materials are just a few of the obvious fields.

Relate this information to the requirement by identifying relevant sections and determining who is responsible for ensuring any requirement is met and who it effects, how and

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Finally, include the results of any risk assessment that has been carried out.

In practice, the majority of this exercise would be carried out in parallel with our initial fact finding exercise as we are unlikely to be very popular if we are to reconvene meetings and/or carry out further interviews. However, one has to be a little careful in asking people the 1 limitations or holes in their existing working methods!

Carrying out this level of analysis does take some time and, from our initial studies and conversations, we are likely to have identified those areas of the business which probably require a more detailed assessment.

Hence the title for this section "Picking Your Target" or perhaps we should call it "the art of cherry picking" get the most management return for the smallest investment thus gaining the credibility to go forward.

Should you try to redefine the organisation's world or target immediate requirements so that you are most likely to get the right backing.

With the information gained we are in a position to carry out a GAP analysis of the records management requirements of a specific business activity. In practical terms this could be described as any difference in deliverables between our understanding of the records keeping requirements and the current records keeping system. One approach to this analysis is to consider the main records management functions of creation, management, access and disposal against the various record keeping requirements and ask some basic questions. For example:

Creation On ingestion to our records management system is the information complete and in a suitable format?

Do we fully understand the content of the record and is its format and content defined (does it have metadata)?

Is the acceptance of information as a record a seamless process?

Is that process efficient and timely?

Are we capturing all necessary index information?

Are the rules relating to the records retention defined?

M anagement Is the record held in a suitable system?

Is the physical nature of the record suitable for its effective management through time.

Does the system provide an audit trail of records ingestion, access and destruction?

Are there system policies and procedures in place?

What are the physical threats to records storage? Does a back up strategy exist and, if so, does it provide a level of response commensurate with the business risk?

Access Does the system provide a timely level of access to the documents?

Do the users find the records complete and usable?

Are there sufficient security methods to prevent unauthorised access?

Disposal Does the process include a method for the efficient identification of records which are scheduled for deletion?

Is there an effective and efficient method of records removal or deletion?

Is this process restricted to suitably authorised personnel?

General In the overall scheme of records keeping within the organisation, how important are these particular records?

Are there any major factors which will force change e.g. office move, reduction of space, organisational change?

Does the existing system support any requirement for evidence?

Is the existing system capable of supporting the requirements?

Our final action is to prepare a full report covering the areas we have analysed which describes all of the strengths and weaknesses of existing practice. Our objective is to gain management agreement to move ahead on one of the areas we have highlighted.

Hopefully this article has not been too hard to digest over Christmas! Next month we'll take a look at how we adopt a strategic approach to introducing records management change in respect of a given project.

Contact: David Aspinall, Datum Solutions Limited, Datum House, 4 Priory Close, Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 4ED Tel: 01252 612805 E-mail: d_aspinall@btconnect.com

How are the US Roll-Ups and Take-Overs doing?

It's now a half-dozen years since the deluge of service company roll-ups and consolidations that hit the U.S. microfilm/imaging outsource industry.

SourceCorp. (then F.Y.I.) arrived on the public scene in January 1996. Lason came into existence as a public company in October 1996. Vestcom was created in August 1997 and ImageMax saw the light of day in December 1997. The roll-up rage also was the impetus behind the growth through mergers and acquisitions of ACS (then Dataplex), Anacomp and Ikon Business Solutions.

Lason, Vestcom and Anacomp started in the U.S. but, through M&A activity all became players on the international scene.

The roll-up was an innovative way of bringing groups of small companies in similar businesses to the public stock market. It is an interesting subset of traditional mergers and acquisitions.

When the founding companies themselves, organised an initial public offering (IPO) of stock, a portion of the initial equity - as well as investment banking fees - usually went to the investment banks that made the offering. When the IPO was set up by an entrepreneur, such individual(s) usually ended up ow ning a percentage of the new company, but the biggest stake was held by the founding members. In some situations, the entrepreneur could quickly cash

out from its share of the deal. However it was created, by using funds from the IPO the roll-up was then able to buy other companies and get bigger. In some instances, secondary offerings of new stock were also used to get funds for more acquisitions.

Collectively, the four big roll-ups represented the amalgamation of approximately 100 individual service bureaux, many of them with heavy micrographics backgrounds. In most instances, owners of the individual firms saw an opportunity to cash in on their labours at a time when the U.S. economy was surging and the stock market booming. Some of the smaller deals were for all cash. Most deals, however, involved shares in the newly-created organisations. Some were a mix of shares and cash, others were all shares. The share portion often had some time restrictions on sale -i.e. the recipients couldn't cash out immediately but had to wait varying periods of time.

H o w h a v e th e b ig f o u r ro ll-u p s d o n e ?

For most the initial results were marvellous. Values skyrocketed. Firms expanded, in some instances through acquisitions of related businesses but in more by branching into other businesses, some of which bore only marginal relationships to the businesses of the original roll-ups. As an example, Vestcom moved from being a service firm to being a supplier of m arketing support services to being a business communications solutions provider.

In more recent times, the trend has been the exact reverse with values plunging, one bankruptcy, one near bankruptcy, an imminent acquisition by an investment group, and reorganisations by all.

In year 2000, Anacomp, ImageMax and Lason were all delisted from the NASDAQ exchange. Companies are delisted when they cannot meet NASDAQ's $1 per share bid requirem ent or the net market capitalisation requirement.

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F.Y.I. and Vestcom both rolled out at $13 per share and promptly shot up. ImageMax opened at $12 per share and was the only roll-up whose price didn't quickly rise; in fact, it never did. At its initial public offering, Lason (which previously existed as a relatively small and quiet midwestern bureau) had a share price of $24. It soared past $69 per share at its peak. Shortly before filin g for a chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganisation in December 2001 it traded as low as $0.17 per share.

As of this writing, the quoted share values were SourceCorp (F.Y.I.), $19; ImageMax, $0.22; and Vestcom, $6.25 (the price which an acquirer, Cornerstone Equity Investors IV, proposes to pay per share; there were no active quotes for Vestcom).

Lason was in a chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganisation that would eliminate its present common stock and therefore there had been no bids. The last recorded bid for existing shares had been $0,005.

It has been a rough roller coaster ride with some people getting hurt along the way. Those original owners did well who were able to cash in before the U.S. economy stumbled, the dot.com investment frenzy ended, and the stock market crashed. Those who couldn't sell early, or held on to their shares too long hoping for an ultimately even bigger payoff, were out of luck. Some owners even ended up having sold for virtually nothing the businesses they built up over many years. Several have since entered law suits, particularly against Lason, on a variety of grounds.

H o w D id It W ork O u t?

That was the story o f ownership. What about the effects on competitors and clients?

time some decided they longed for the personalised - and in a good number of cases, better - service available from individual, local outsourcing bureaux.

Whilst the one-time predominant single location mom-and-pop operation has gone the way of the corner grocery store in the era of the supermarket, strong regional operations now seem to be doing well. At most of them, scanning services have become significant revenue generators, complementary to, or even eclipsing micrographics services. There are fewer providers out there but the ones who survived are getting bigger portions of the current business pie.

Alas, few people were listen ing

Large corporate clients seemed to love the idea of multi-service, multi-location outsourcing firms with special pricing and billing. But the roll-ups, with the exception of SourceCorp., expanded too fast, building their future as much on great expectations as on tangib le business. As those expectations were unfulfilled the roll-ups had disappointing financial results. Cutbacks were inevitable with locations, employees and services sacrificed. Some changed the direction of their business; SourceCorp was most successful at this. Some went into questionable accounting practices and later had to pay for it.

In 1998, when the U.S. stock market went sour in mid-year, M icrographics N ew sletter wrote, "If sluggish stock values are an omen of slowing business in general, some organisations that borrowed to grow can be left with earnings shortfalls and debt incurred to pay off the cash portion of acquisitions. That, in turn, can lead to unhappy shareholders (including principals of companies that were rolled up), and lenders and pullbacks from markets that were - from the very start -- not pulling their weight. The result will probably be contractions parallelling the earlier expansions."

Initially, many smaller clients also rushed to the new multi-service, multi-location organisations. But in

How prophetic that turned out to be!

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Site Consolidation: U.S. COM Trend Quietly, input via telephone lines has helped change and consolidate the U.S. COM service bureau industry. Among the national multi-location providers, DST (formerly Output Technologies) now funnels all client work into its Kansas City, Missouri operation where it has a battery of recorders operating two shifts a day. Lason channels all its North American work to its Canadian facilities.

Virtual Image Technology, a major regional organisation, having closed offices in Charlotte, North Carolina and Richmond, Virginia, now does all COM work out of its South Carolina headquarters.

Computer Systems Company, a midwestern power, closed several locations and now does all of its COM output from its Brecksville, Ohio center.

For clients, it makes little - if any - difference where their work is actually done. For service bureaux, fewer locations mean less overhead, reduced operating costs, and better margins so even in a reduced business environment they have the potential of being in far more profitable situations.

Kodak ties announcem ents to ARM A Eastman Kodak issued several news announcements immediately prior to or at the ARMA show. One was a business-to-business partner web site to enable on­ line ordering, payment, invoicing and order tracking for customers. This service is provided via The Knowledge Exchange, a private site. It gives Kodak value added resellers (VARs) instant access to critical business information. It gives customers seven days a week, 24 hour information access they previously had to get more slowly by phone or fax.

Kodak also announced that InputAccel, an input management software solution from Captiva, now supports Kodak's Document Archive Writer (DAW).

The interaction between InputAccel and the DAW is done in any of four ways. ★ Image and index information can be transferred into a file system, that can be imported by the DAW. ★ Users can validate and export the location of scanned images into a database or any content management system. ★ Customised InputAccel customers can use a customised version to meet their specific needs. ★ Customised DAW integration customers can create their own integration to the DAW. In addition, Kodak said that the DAW now also interfaces with Hyland OnBase document management software. Using a new interface, documents can be routed automatically or manually from OnBase to the DAW.

Further, Kodak said Ricoh Silicon Valley has linked the Document Archive Writer with Ricoh's eCabinet document management software. Integration of these two products allows users to seamlessly capture all documents created by networked office peripherals and ensure their readability on microfilm for up to 500 years. The integrated product is targeted for industries with regulated document processes and mandated long-term retention needs.

Anacom p nam es Cram er CEO President Jeff Cramer, Anacomp, was also promoted to the additional role of CEO. Phil Smoot, who led the company through restructuring and reorganisation of its worldwide operations, had been chief executive officer since August 2000. He remains chairman of the board. Cramer has served as president since March 2002.

Previously he was senior vice president and general manager of Anacomp's technical services division, a post he held for more than four years. Cramer joined Anacomp in 1996 as SVP-business development.

IM AG ELIN K Im aging Services records 5 m illionthplus im age Kodak IMAGELINK Im aging Services, launched in February 2002, provides users with the ability to send images to Kodak via either the internet or on various media types for the purpose of recording those images on film. The service provides output to 16mm, 35mm and 105mm. Film output can be in either bitonal or grayscale, positive or negative with indexed digital file information right on the film. By October Kodak had recorded over 5 million images. Typical applications are engineering drawings, county plot maps, historical documents for universities insurance documents and manufacturing records.

Kodak said that as more and more documents are either created digitally and/or scanned, customers are seeking an easy way to create a reference archive of key information. The company's answer has been this service offered via approximately 30 authorised resellers throughout the United States.

British India Papers go to M icrofilm The first reformatting project for the new OCLC Digital & Preservation Resources Western Center in Lacey, Washington will be microfilming the Ames Library of South Asia. The selected titles from the University of Minnesota's collection chronicle the history of BritishIndian interaction. The collection is made up of more than 25,000 titles, including monographs, photographs, maps, prints and drawings. h ttp-.Hwww.odc.org

1 Virtually every attendee reported departmental budget cuts are now in place. The severity of the cuts depends on the size of the projected state deficit. The result is cuts in services offered ranging up to 20% and holds on equipment purchases; however, some states acquired new equipment this year on appropriations that were approved in earlier budgets. Other cutbacks include early retirement programmes offered to reduce department sizes, hiring freezes and more use of temporary employees. In some instances, departments are outsourcing more work to avoid overhead.

Despite such moves, the dozen states represented at the conference continue to handle lots of work with budgets that in some cases run into the millions of dollars and image pages produced that run into the hundreds of millions.

Trends reported include a decline in COM production, an increase in CD output, and sharp acceleration in scanning services.

The two-day conference included updates on the state micrographics/imaging programmes in Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin, plus a presentation on the work of the host, Wyoming State Archives, which does microfilming of permanent records. One of the unique projects it handles is cattle brand records, sometimes referred to as the "Heraldry of the West".

Like other states, Wyoming routinely backs up on microfilm what it scans. Other sessions covered hybrid systems from capture through indexing and preservation; microform preservation; and going from analogue to digital.

The 2003 Midwest States Micrographics Conference will be held in September. The host will be the state of Kentucky, continuing the stretching of the definition of Midwest.

M inolta, Om nia sign distrib utio n agreem ent.

Minolta's microfilm equipment distribution agreement with Eastman Kodak apparently isn't discouraging all independent dealers. Omnia Micrographics, Sacramento CA, signed an agreement with Minolta to sell and support the latter's full line of micrographic products, including digital microfilm scanners and electronic public printers. (www.sacramentomicrofilm.com) A CS reports record earn in gs

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M id w est M icro grap h ics Conference reflects econom ic dow nturn The 15th annual Midwest States Micrographics Conference, held during mid-September in Cheyenne, Wyoming, reflected the effects of the downturn in the U.S. economy. Less than 60 attendees, most from state micrographics departments across the country, were present. This is a decline from previous meetings in recent years and a significant drop from the 100+ of four and five years ago. All agreed the reason was the poor economy and deficits in state budgets.

ACS, the major national outsourcing giant that includes, among others, what had been Dapaplex and Associated Computer Systems, reported record earnings for the first quarter of FY 2003 (Sept. 30), a 28% increase over a year earlier. ACS revenues were up 37% to $898 million and net revenue was up 58% to $69.5 million.

D igital archiving draw s big bucks The Film-based Imaging Association and others continue to lobby the U.S. Congress for an economical and safe film-based hybrid complement to purely digital preservation. How effective their efforts will be in the new Congress is open to question. However, the digital devotees continue to gain attention and funding. The San Diego Super Computer Center is spending from the $130 million awarded to it by NARA to develop a "400 year digital archive". The Library of Congress is reported to have just received a grant to develop the same solution, a digital archive. InterPARES, the international consortium to which the United States is the largest contributor, expects to spend $23 million by the time its digital preservation research project is complete. Clearly the dollars are there for almost anything that begins with the "D" word. Just don't use the "M" word. That's a sure project killer.

Im ageM ax achieves 3Q gains, nam es tw o new directors ImageMax announced improved revenues, operating income and net income for the third quarter and nine months ended Sept. 30. 3Q results were $10.7 million in revenues, $300,000 in operating income and $16,000 in net income. Nine-month results were $32.1 million, $1.1 million and $200,000, respectively.

CEO Mark Glassman said, "For the first time since the second quarter of 2000, we had improvement in revenues and earnings over the prior year's quarter."

He attributed the favourable results to the closing of several large contracts ($500,000 or greater) and a favourable revenue mix that is offsetting declines in hardware and related supplies revenues.

The national document management outsourcing firm also appointed tw o new directors to the company's board. They are Dr. Frederick E. Webster, Jr., professor of management (emeritus) at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and president of FEW Consulting Services, and M. Christine Murphy, chairman and CEO of S. Zitner Co., a Philadelphia-based m anufacturer of fine confections.

She was previously revenue commissioner for the City of Philadelphia.

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Each cubicle has a new PC, scanner and microfilm reader. In addition there are 63 similarly-equipped offices for visiting senior scholars.

I

In-House m icrofilm savin gs m ount fo r state o f Illinois State agencies continue to be the biggest users and advocates of microfilm in the United States. One of the biggest is the Micrographic Services Division of the State of Illinois Secretary of State's Office. In recently-completed fiscal year 2002, the Division did work for more than 40 state agencies and its cost avoidance savings for these agencies from COM output amounted to a total of $15.7 million.

The savings are calculated by subtracting total COM microfiche costs from the cost of an equivalent number of pages of computer printout, both produced at the lowest government rate. More than 350 pages on a fiche cost less than two pages of computer printout. In addition, storage and filing requirements are reduced by 98%. Over the past five years COM cost avoidance savings total $98.8 million.

All of the Division's numbers are impressive. In FY

2002, over 558 million COM data pages were recorded. Of these, 197.3 million were on silver film and 360.8 million were on CDs. In 2002 the Division began to "burn" CDs from data cartridges and offer this CD format in addition to m icrofiche. Consequently, though still very impressive, COM film ing and duplicating has gone down some 20% while CD production soared 285%.

Still in million million million million

FY 2002, the State produced nearly one original COM fiche and more than 3 duplicate COM fiche. More than 10.2 document pages were filmed and 7.8 feet of film were processed.

"Micrographic production costs are calculated on a fiscal year basis and are substantially lower than commercial costs," said Sally Fritcher, Division Administrator. "Users pay no fees for our COM services, but agree to a film replacement policy on a semiannual basis. Beginning in July FY 2003, the same replacement policy will go into effect for CDs." With such a favourable costing system, the Division doubtless has many clients who never considered going outside for such services.

Despite some naysayers it appears micrographics, which has been a major part of records management for the State of Illinois for more than four decades, will continue to be one for a long time to come.

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C o -Existe n ce : C o m p u ters, m icrofilm readers

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITO

LETTW g D . T O R

The debate goes on...

I am very much enjoying the correspondence that is developing between my father and Arrow Microfilm Ltd. In his letter Ken Scott (MD of Arrow) mentioned my company. The Microfilm Shop, so I thought it only fair that I should enter the "discussion".

term, imaging to those who require it for the short term and, for the vast majority of our customers, (both retail and trade) we will sell them something that combines the two technologies. As our last financial year was the best we have ever had I can speak with confidence.

As Ken mentioned we are indeed selling imaging systems and supplies both directly from The Shop and through our new marketing division, Archive Imaging.

The main reason for my letter is to thank him for this as it actually generated some serious interest. I've been marketing these new services and products for over 2 years but Ken and The Green Sheet seem to be my best marketing channels. By the way you forgot to mention the web site Ken - www.archiveimaging.co.uk. We are also talking about these products in the front page article of our latest customer newsletter.

As our industry is combining more aspects of microfilm, paper and imaging I am really pleased that The Green Sheet is talking about all of them and I think the honest and friendly discussions that my father and Ken have started make for good dialogue and education. I hope more people join in.

The reason we are selling these systems is because they nullify all of the objections to microfilm that Ken listed in his letter. They make microfilm so user friendly (as you can now have digital access and distribution) that I can see of no reason why a document or record management system that needs to keep information for longer than 5 years should not be considering a hybrid solution.

I think that maybe Ken and my father are talking at slightly cross purposes. As he is a long standing and loyal customer of The Microfilm Shop I understand Ken's business to a large extent and I know that a lot of his customers only require their information to be stored for a short period of time. As long as the cost is acceptable these customers should not be considering microfilm, imaging is the answer. Therefore Ken's quote that microfilm only represents 5% of his turnover makes sense, but that is not because microfilm is not any good, it is because microfilm is not the right answer for the majority of his customers. If his customers required their information to be kept for longer than 5 years, like the majority of my customers, then my father's arguments are perfectly correct.

That is why we are offering the complete product range, so that we could never be accused of trying to push one particular system to a customer. We will sell microfilm to people who need information keeping for the long

Paul Negus Managing Director, The Microfilm Shop Group p.s. Ken, I hope you did reimburse the old man. As he is a poor pensioner on a fixed income, he will only come looking for another hand out from me if you haven't!

(This is not a private debate - anyone can join in on either side. - Ed.)

p/feciSfOMMfcsrop/root/crs Of* A M ER IC A , /JVC-

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There follows a message from Ralph Fuchs to Russ Burkel and the ongoing dialogue that it then generated through the FblA committee, copies of which were forwarded to The Green Sheet.

The Future of Microfilm I went out with some people from the Swedish Archive.

We had a very interesting discussion about long term storage. One of the gentlemen works as an adviser for the Swedish Government. His job is to work, for example, with the national archive and recommend them "what to archive how". Of course this person is a big microfilm fan. But one of his comments made me think. i

They are currently working on a project where covers of historical books (A2 and bigger) have to be archived somehow and also have to be made accessible for the population. Those books are up to 500 years old! He said they finally decided to go digital since this is a colour application. He is fully aware of the problems of "digital long-term storage" (sounds kinda' strange, doesn't it?) but he said that there is basically only one manufacturer left in the world that could provide large format colour microfilm cameras (Zeutschel).

This fact makes it impossible to go analogue. Who can guarantee that these cameras will be supported in 5, 10 or 15 years?

He said that this is the basic problem of microfilm: All the manufacturers are disappearing from the market. At one point the users will be forced to go digital since they cannot rely on a Mr. Staude or a Mr. Ihrig (both are approaching retirement and nobody is there to carry on their ideas etc).

The more I listened to this gentleman the more I was afraid that he is right. At the Swedish Archive they will simply accept the fact that they will have to migrate their digital files forever. They predict to do this approximately every 10 years.

It seems that scan first and then produce a microfilm print out (if necessary or if possible) is the way to go.

However, this will be the end of traditional microfilming.

Ralph Fuchs, International Sales & Marketing Manager, Eichner Organisation GmbH & Co. KG, Germany ralph@mikrofilmhaus.de Response to the FblA committee I probably sound like broken record but want to re­ emphasise this example of the signals microfilm manufacturers have sent to users. It speaks for itself.

T U .

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________________

...fu rth e r co m m e n t First of all, the FblA Buyers Guide, which we just published, was designed to help users find the sources of microfilm equipment and supplies. FblA is about to make a mailing - and we have given away about 200 copies in the past few weeks.

Second, yes, manufacturers are going away - many like Mr Staude due to age. However, the main problem is as stated by Mike Oris. The users simply will not commit to purchasing new equipment. And when they do, the buy cycle is too long for any manufacturer to wait.

My company's competition is the used equipment dealer. Here in the states most filming is now done on an outsourced basis. Very few service bureaux buy new equipment. They buy new scanners - but "genetically" they cannot bring themselves to buy new microfilm equipment.

However, there is still a manufacturer for, I believe, every type of equipment. It may not be the unit that you prefer - as there is little choice - but there is a unit.

My company makes and sells fiche duplicators. We are about the only one here in the states. It is not that we are that "superior" - it is that we are the last one standing.

I dispute the gentleman from the Swedish Archives.

He should continue to film - until such time as he cannot find support, because I am positive that there is, and will be, support for microfilm products. Should support go away, then go to scanning. If you really want to find a product that has no support - look at most scanners and the accompanying software - 5 to 8 years after you buy them.

I personally think that a little more positive attitude would help. If you really think that microfilm is dead then it is dead. And if it is dead - I wonder who uses all of that silver film that Kodak/Fuji/Agfa manufacture?

Peter Hovell, Connecticut Micrographics, USA peter@micrographics. com

Brand new formatted Web Site from The Microfilm Shop

Russ Burkel, Analogue Imaging, USA rburkel@juno.com ...comment The reality is that if a manufacturer can make a profit and support their sales efforts, they will continue to manufacturer the products. Manufacturers need a market commitment to manufacturer. If the international community commits to this technology and a forecast for products can be made it will continue.

There are many caveats to the words I have used like "commitment" and maybe we should start a dialogue?

Mike Oris, HF, Inc., USA mikeo@houstonfearless.com

www.microfilm.com including a c o m p r e h e n s i v e equipment section

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Combining archive mediums - w hy customers are go ing digital but keeping COM B y Chris Haden, Sales D irector at Anacom p (UK) Ltd. information held on microfiche can have a significant In today's workplace, impact on the turnaround time for a task. This supports information is most readily the case, in favour of electronic documents. Electronic available as a digital document. documents enable quick and easy access to information, This has changed the COM without the issue of declining quality. market considerably as the need to use microfiche and microfilm Obviously, it is not necessary to detail the possible knock in the day to day activities has on effects of slow processing times here. In an dramatically declined. However, environment where information must be available while in decline, more and more quickly and easily a suitable alternative to microfiche is leading analysts specialising in CD or online documentation. Duplicate copies can be the information management marketplace recognise made quickly and easily with electronic data. So, why the value of multiple information formats. The not change from COM to CD altogether? A good demands of businesses are not totally satisfied by a question, and many companies have done this but have single medium and as a result, companies are opting not necessarily thought about the remainder of the for BOTH digital and COM as a combined best practice document lifecycle. They have often omitted the total solution. cost of the electronic version from their decision.

Migration from one e-format to another is costly.

In business, COM has long been recognised as truly one Technology is changing fast, both hardware and of the best long-term information storage mediums, software, so beware! yet digital documents provide easy access to information necessary in this day and age. The Think again, if you are making duplicates of the understanding has been that each format provides its information anyway, why not make them in a format own benefits and disadvantages; hence in many cases which suits all your requirements. Companies can the need for both COM and an electronic format. choose multiple formats for their storage media. The In an operational environment, master copies of last 12 to 18 months has seen many companies choose microfiche must be duplicated as the microfiche COM as a more cost-effective format for long-term deteriorates the more it is handled. Search times for archive and opt for electronic documentation operationally. So to summarise:

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COM as a long-term archive ★ Industry is comfortable with COM ★ Regulated processes are well established in many user companies to meet legal requirements. ★ The worry and cost of technological obsolescence is far less than other media formats ★ Leading analysts still state that COM is the best form of long-term archive available Electronic Documentation for Operational Processing ★ Faster access to Information ★ Easier to share and distribute information ★ Easier to search for specific content ★ Ability to track the document Whatever your current medium, produced in-hQuse, or outsourced, records managers need to consider for why are they are storing the documents and how long do they need to be stored? The argument no longer needs to be 'do we turn off microfiche and switch to electronic', it should be to consider 'do we need microfiche to meet our long-term archive requirements and do we need electronic documents to meet our immediate operational requirements'.

But remember there will always be issues that must be considered for the future - microfiche and microfilm doesn't last forever, but 30 years is a long time !

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