The resulting microfilm collection consists of 21 reels containing images for all of the drawings. Therefore, we did not have to allow for growth when planning the storage system. We predicted our storage needs based on the dimensions of the materials as recorded in the database. That left 112 drawings to be stored rolled. The microfilm surrogates are more heavily used than ever before, and the original drawings are rarely consulted, meaning that we did our job.
More people have access to the information contained in the images.
At the same time, the originals are viewed more appropriately and will survive longer in their original state.