Putting It Into Practice

Managing Reformatting

Working with a Vendor

For most small institutions, contracting out to an experienced vendor for preservation reformatting will be easier and more cost effective than trying to reformat in-house.

Evaluate the Vendor's Experience and Services

High-volume commercial microfilmers do not have the equipment or expertise to film fragile materials without damaging them. For valuable collections and/or materials that are being filmed because they are too fragile to withstand extensive handling, it is best to use a special service filmer who is experienced in dealing with hard-to-film collections (e.g., tightly bound books, faded documents). For digital imaging, the vendor should have experience working with historical materials, as well as current equipment and the expertise to use it.

For audio and video recordings, an audiovisual or multimedia lab experienced with library and archives collections (as opposed to commercial customers) must be chosen. Professional-quality equipment and properly trained staff are essential to the production of preservation masters and service copies for audio and video recordings. Video recordings are especially vulnerable to data loss during the copying process because of the large amount of data in video signals.

Similarly, a specialized commercial film laboratory is needed for film duplication. Some duplication laboratories have developed particular specialties, such as specific formats or types of film (e.g., 8mm film, color film, nitrate film, soundtracks).

Contact several different vendors to compare costs and services. You will need to estimate the size of the project, which will allow the vendor to provide a cost estimate. Visit the vendor to make sure that housekeeping, environmental control, and security are acceptable for temporary storage of the collections. This is especially important to prevent damage to original materials that will be retained rather than discarded after reformatting.

Draw Up a Contract

Once you have identified the vendor you wish to use, negotiate a contract. Be sure to find out whether your institution has specific procedures that must be followed for bidding and contracts.

You will need to specify standards and guidelines to which the vendor must adhere (e.g., for image quality, quality control measures, etc.) in the contract. Insurance and shipping requirements must be covered in the contract, as well as any special services (such as the creation of microfilming targets) that the vendor will provide.