Reprography - microfilming
To protect National Library of Scotland material which is fragile and subjected to heavy use, we transfer the image to microfilm where possible.
The Reprographic Unit carries out this work, taking into account resolution, density and residual chemicals after processing. We use the archival standards devised for the UK Mellon Microfilming Project.
Books and newspapers
The unit is equipped to film and process 35mm microfilm mounted on reel or aperture cards. A reader/printer allows electrostatic enlargements to be produced from film or microfiche up to A3 size.
NLS has dedicated projects filming printed books and newspapers. We aim to expand these programmes according to available resources.
Preservation filming
All preservation filming originated by the Library is produced in three generations:
- the archival master
- a working negative
- a working positive
We store the archival master is stored in a separate location for safety. It is available only to produce working negatives, which in turn produce the working positives when needed.
See the reprographics leaflet (PDF: 2 pages: 2.3 MB) for more information about the work carried out by the Reprographics Unit.