One of the greatest fears for anyone entrusted with the preservation of collections is the damage and destruction that can be wrought by fire or flood. This is particularly so for microfilm collections where the film might be the only remaining contact with the original item.

It is difficult to avoid the damage water causes from flooding, burst pipes, etc. Moreover, while the majority of libraries have good fire-fighting and control plans, residual damage from sprinkler systems or fire fighting equipment is sometimes unavoidable.

The Unit is therefore very pleased to be able to offer its customers access to a free Disaster Recovery Plan, in association with Kodak. Click here to view Kodak Disaster Recovery Plan promotional material. The plan covers all microfilm produced by the Unit, making this a very comprehensive service.

The Plan assists with the following:

1. Solutions for storage and transportation of the damaged films. Kodak will immediately start
    the process of preparing their laboratories to receive the films.
2. The transportation of the damaged films to Kodak's laboratories in Rochester, New York, USA.
3. The cleaning, disinfecting, drying and, if necessary, duplicating of water or smoke damaged microfilms.
4. The return of the films to your organisation.

The only cost the customer meets is the shipping of the films to Rochester. Kodak will cover the cost of everything else including the return transport.

We are confident that our customers will welcome this development and see it as further evidence of the Scottish Newspapers Microfilming Unit adopting a true preservation approach to our work and our service.