The microfilm product is in fiche or roll format, which can be duplicated rapidly and inexpensively. COM not only provides for faster production of computer generated information, it also provides for a considerable reduction of paper generation. COM production results in report run time savings, materials savings, space savings, equipment savings, mailing costs, and information retrieval savings. 1B-26.021, Florida Administrative Code establish specific quality standards which must be met for all microfilmed records which have a retention value of ten years or more. All microfilm products produced by the Technical Services Section of the bureau conform to the prescribed standards.
Many agencies produce their own microforms due to volume or convenience.
To insure that the agency produced product meets the standards, microfilm quality inspection and testing is offered as a service of our agency. Testing includes checking image density, clear area density, and chemical testing for residual thiosulfate ion concentrations. These tests are imperative to insure that the microfilm product is legible and will last as long as the specified retention without decay. Once a microfilm product has been produced, it is necessary that it be duplicated, primarily for security purposes and also for distribution. The original microform should never be used for reference or retrieval purposes.