Dear Member,

Welcome to the first IIM newsletter for this year.  This issue features an article reproduced from the GreenSheet on Microfilm “Microfilm – Survival or Revival”.  We have also included short article on Microfilm in Australia through an interview with Ben Tosetto, a Director of IIM and proprietor of AMS-Imaging Services.

Most of our members probably would not be aware of the early history of IIM.  IIM was first incorporated in 1997.  Some of the original Board members are still active with IIM today.  They include Len Asprey (Inaugural Chairman), Ben Tosetto (Current Director Finance & Governance) and Elaine Eccleston (active ACT member). 

So how did IIM come about?  Just as technology and archive medium have evolved from microfilm/microfiche through to digital, so has the association changed.  Back in 1967 when microfilm/microfiche were the primary long-term archive media, the association was called the National Microfilm Association (NMA) which was associated with the US National Microfilm Association.  The US NMA later became AIIM International.  In line with the change in name of the US association, the Australian body also changed its name and became a chapter of AIIM International.  Today, IIM remains a partner of AIIM.

As I promised in my previous message to you, we will be introducing some new topics and will keep bringing articles and events that explore them.  In this newsletter we included an article on “Changing the way organisations manage their future” by Michael Coveney, author of “The Strategy Gap” who brings his rich experience in helping organisations combine ‘best management practices’ with technology to improve the efficiency of their performance management processes.  This article discusses budgeting and planning processes and suggests a different approach organisations need to take to manage their future successfully. 

Finally, I would like to inform you that IIM branches are again actively involved in preparing for the third Information Awareness Month (IAM) that will include a range of events through the month of May.  IAM is a collaborative initiative by several professional associations (including Australian Library and Information Association, Australian Society of Archivists, Health Information Management Association of Australia, Institute for Information Management and Record Management Association of Australia) with objectives to increase public awareness of the importance of information and to "connect information and people".  The overall topic of IAM 2008 is Safety, Security and Privacy.  More information about individual events and activities will soon be available on the IAM website at: http://www.informationawarenessmonth.com.au.  

Enjoy your read and if you have any suggestions on content or ideas how we can improve it, please let us know.

Vlad Videnovic
President
Email:VladV@beaconit.com.au

WA Sponsored By

Attracting and Retaining Employees in WA, retaining our corporate knowledge base in our people!  Speakers: Professor Shelda Debowski, Director/Professorial Fellow, Organisational and Staff Development Services, University of Western Australia Jane Griffiths, Manager – Service & Support Recruitment, WA and Kevin Howell, Managing Consultant – IT&T Hudson Recruitment Neil Whiteley, Information Management Manager Tourism Western Australia Date: Wednesday, 12th March 2008 Event Time: 7.15 for 7.30am start Venue: WA Club, 101 St George's Terrace, Perth (Business dress) Cost: IIM Members and Students* - $35.00; Non-members** -$50.00 RSVP: Please RSVP using the Registration Form

VIC Sponsored By

Project Collaboration: The Information Challenge  Speaker: John Gorham, Victorian Business Development Manager, Aconex Date: Tuesday 15th April 2008 Event Time: 7.30 for 7.40am start Venue: Coopers Inn Hotel, Cnr Exhibition & Lt Lonsdale Sts Melbourne Cost: IIM Members and Students - $35.00; Non-members -$50.00 RSVP: Registration Form

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Microfilm - Revival or Survival Reprinted with permission of Green Sheet MEDIA This article appeared in the September/October 2007 Issue 46
By: John Baker - Executive Editor, Green Sheet MEDIA
The modern day revival of the microfilm industry (Yes it IS a revival. Exec. Ed.) is due partly to the closure of the gap in the document life cycle and partly to the potential longevity of storage without image degeneration. Suddenly companies have the ability to not only scan their documents, but also to commit the digital version of that document to microfilm which is stated to be archivally permanent from anything between 100 and 500 years.

On the subject of archival permanence, the marketing data tells you that microfilm is good for 500 years of archival permanence. It is not such a bold statement as you may think. The film referred to has been certified by leading manufacturers on the basis of solid research and not their marketing executives. Obviously none of us will be around to check if it fades after 500 years, and there must be some form of artificial aging process by which degradation of the film can be measured.

With microfilm having been in commercial production for over 100 years, the key film manufacturers are sending out a clear message to the digital document industry around the world in declaring 500 years of permanence. Computer manufacturers could never agree that level of permanence for their technology. At least not at present. Perhaps once computing as we know it is as old as microfilm, that might change.

From the business perspective, the thought process must be that microfilm is a medium to be used alongside traditional EDM solutions instead of being in opposition to it as it has been in the past. 

IIM Information Resources Article Link

Microfilm – The Australian Experience
An interview with Ben Tosetto and David Western AMS-Imaging

1. Security: Microfilmed records may be duplicated and stored in off-site storage allowing recovery and retrieval in case of loss, theft or damage.
2. Longevity: Modern microfilm will last for 500 years – quoted by Kodak for silver based original microfilm that is processed and stored to international standards.
3. File integrity: Documents remain in fixed locations on the film, eliminating the possibility of misfiling or alteration.
4. Storage savings: Microfilm requires about 2% of the space required to store the equivalent documents in paper format. One roll of film could contain as many as 15,000 A4 Documents.
5.  Duplication and distribution: Microfilm is cheaper to duplicate and distribute than the equivalent paper records
6. Retrieval: Automated or manually indexed microfilmed records can be quickly and accurately retrieved.

Where is Microfilm being used today?
The GreenSheet article “Microfilm – Revival or Survival” stated that ..” microfilm is a medium to be used alongside traditional EDM solutions instead of being in opposition”. Our experience at AMS-Imaging is that this statement is as true today as it has ever been.  

For instance, approximately 80% of records digitally captured for finance or legal purposes are also committed to microfilm.  

A prime example for the need for both the digital and analogue versions is the Bureau of Meteorology. In the case of the BoM, data is required for long-term modelling and therefore independent of technology. Climate data/charts (rainfall, barometrics etc) are required for in excess of 100 years.  

Another example of where microfilm comes into play is plans and engineering drawings. Because there are no signatures associated with CAD diagrams and, the need for the drawing to be available for the life of the building, microfilm is the ideal medium for the long-term preservation of the drawings.  

About AMS-Imaging
Australian Microfilm Services (AMS), was established in 1971 and is based in South Melbourne , Victoria . AMS-Imaging is an Australian owned and managed company that also incorporates Reprographic Services (Aust.) and Melbourne Micrographics.   AMS is one of the oldest Microfilm and Scanning Bureaus in Australia . AMS is AS/NZS ISO9001:2000 accredited.  

Changing the way organisations manage their future Michael Coveney, author of ‘The Strategy Gap’, published by J Wiley & Sons

To support this best practice approach of managing the future, organisations need a performance management system that deals with more than just the numbers, but also the detail behind the numbers. This requires the collection, validation and storage of text and other data in addition to the financial budgets, rigorous approval workflows, and reporting all within the same system.

Managing the future requires an approach that directly links activities to an organisation’s strategic and operational plans. Today’s planning systems are typically not up to the task because they treat planning as a numbers exercise that isolates departments from one another.

IIM Information Resources Article Link