December 22nd 
Comments As part of every aperture card conversion project, microMEDIA Imaging Systems delivers digital files of all scanned microfilm images from the aperture cards, as well as an accompanying database of metadata from the cards which is used to identify the images.
These two components are linked together so that clients can search through the database to find the appropriate image based on the dates, project names, and other data categories, and also quickly search and review the scanned digital images from the microfilms.
Searchable Database: As part of every aperture card conversion, we create a comma delimited spreadsheet containing the relevant data categories for each scanned microfilm image.
This means that if there are five types of data categories for a client’s aperture cards, such as “Project,” “Product,” “Revision Number,” “Date” and “Technology Type,” we will create a spreadsheet corresponding to each of those five data fields, which enables the client to sort their digitally scanned images by each of these categories.
If the client wants to see all the images from a certain Project, they can sort the spreadsheet and find where those images are located. Or if they want to find all the images from a certain date, they can search for a specific date or sort in chronological order (or reverse chronological order).
The process of creating a database can be complex, in large part due to the variety of categories and naming conventions that are used over the years to identify microfilm images. Creating a good database sometimes takes a bit of “detective work.”
Encrypted digital files: The other “deliverable” for every aperture card conversion project is a complete file of the digitally scanned images from the microfilms. We outline all the scanned images into some type of digital format – most often JPG, PDF, or a client-specific format to correspond with the client’s imaging system. For clients who do not have their own in-house imaging system, we give them PDF files.
We are usually dealing with a significant volume of data – so all digital files are recorded onto DVD or an external hard drive, and we also upload the images to the client via FTP. All the information from the aperture cards is considered to be the client’s intellectual property, so we make sure that all the data is encrypted and password protected.
For example, we recently completed an aperture card conversion project for a manufacturing company that had purchased another company – and as part of the merger, the new owners needed to incorporate all the archived aperture cards from their newly acquired company into the larger company’s digital imaging system. Even though the aperture cards were old, they still contained proprietary drawings and intellectual property that needed to be kept secure.
As you can see, every aperture card scanning project involves much more than just “scanning.” You can expect a thorough quality control process, a diligent review of categories and metadata, and a final delivery of a searchable database enabling you to sort and find the images you need. Aperture card scanning will get thousands of old images out of the archives and at your fingertips.
Related Posts
- Aperture card scanning process – quality control
- What to expect from the aperture card scanning process
- Aperture card scanning process – identifying metadata
- Why use document scanning services for aperture cards?
- Client responsibilities in working with an outsourced scanning service
Learn more about how microMEDIA can fulfill your imaging services needs.