Scanning Microfiche Containing Genealogical Records

Many historical and genealogical records are stored on microfiche cards. This is available to someone interested in the information for private and or historical uses. In many libraries and other locations around the United States, they have microfiche readers to help you find what you need.

Converting the microfiche to digital allows this process to be much easier. Microfiche to digital conversion is the process of scanning microfiche with high tech equipment, and creating an image that is stored on computers. Microfiche to digital conversion can make a big difference to genealogy researchers that are looking for specific information contained within a large collection of data.

Traditional Uses vs Digital Conversion

A good way to compare these processes is to consider the differences between the two formats and what can be accomplished with each. Traditional microfiche readers rely on you to manually locate the film, insert it into the reader, then finding the general area where your data may be, and then hunting for names as you would find a word in a book. A Microfiche to digital conversion creates digital images of the entire collection.

All the data is then stored in a computer and can be viewed as many time as you like. The scanning of microfiche to digital technology has been available for a few years and is the logical means for optimization. Microfiche readers and printers where great years ago, but the time it takes to find information is greatly reduced thanks to a microfiche to digital conversion process.

Searchable PDFs or Text Files

There is even better news. After the Microfiche to Digital process is complete, we can perform an OCR or, Optical Character Recognition, to the files. By doing this, all files that were converted from microfiche to digital can be data searched by simply typing a name in the computer. Imagine you are looking for persons name and you don’t know where it is within thousands of records. The value of microfiche scanning is realized when you are able to type in the name and have the computer bring up the page and point to the location where the name is found. CONTACT US

Did Your Reader Printer Break?

When should one convert microfiche to digital images, such as PDFs, TIFFs, or JPGs? How about right now! Just recently the Mt. Vernon Clerk and Recorder office has suffered extensive water damage, and their microfiche machine no longer works. Generation Imaging has received numerous inquires from many government entities, school systems, and insurance companies that were using reader printers or Canon scanners which broke down.

If they don’t convert microfiche before an accident or mechanical failure, they would be unable to service the public or digitize the data. The huge advantage of using a microfiche scanning service bureau is that a company like Generation Imaging can convert microfiche to digital images much more quick than a slow reader printer or Canon scanner.

Good Microfiche Scanners

G.I. uses NextScan high speed microfiche scanners to convert microfiche to PDF, TIFF, or JPG, at various DPI, bi-tonal (black and white) or grayscale. Images can be converted through OCR (proprietary software) or indexed by directory or at the filename level. In other words, G.I. can create an image retrieval format for you to match your existing organization or create an entire new way to organize your images.

The key to avoiding disasters and getting involved in the tricky business of disaster recovery is to be proactive. The first step is to convert microfiche to digital. You may be surprised just how affordable the cost of microfiche scanning is with Generation Imaging.

Go Digital

The benefits of digitizing fiche are numerous: increased productivity, easy file transfers via e-mail, internet, FTP, networks, and printing; and the ability to copy images quickly.

Governments, private organizations, and individuals (researchers, veterans, genealogists, hobbyists) that have fiche should convert microfiche to digital images as soon as possible. CONTACT US

Historical Society Microfiche To Digital