(a) This subpart establishes rules and procedures for the use of privately owned microfilm equipment to film accessioned archival records and donated historical materials in NARA's legal and physical custody by:

(1) Foreign, Federal, state, and local government agencies;

(2) Private commercial firms;

(3) Academic research groups; or

(4) Other entities or individuals that request exemption from obtaining copies through the regular fee schedule reproduction ordering system of NARA.

(b) If you wish to microfilm Federal agency records in the physical custody of the Washington National Records Center (WNRC), contact the director, WNRC, about procedures for obtaining permission from the originating agency to film those records (see § 1253.4). For information about procedures for obtaining permission from the originating agency to film records in the records center operation of one of NARA's regional records facilities or in the physical custody of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), contact the Regional Administrator of the region in which the records are located (see § 1253.6), or the director, NPRC, for records in NPRC (see § 1253.5).

(c) Federal agencies that need to microfilm archival records in support of the agency's mission must contact the appropriate office as specified in § 1254.92(a) as soon as possible after the need is identified for information concerning standards and procedures that apply to their microfilming of archival records.

(a) You must submit your request to microfilm materials to the appropriate office.

(1) Submit your written request to microfilm archival records or donated historical materials (except donated historical materials under the control of the Office of Presidential Libraries) in the Washington, DC, area to the Assistant Archivist for Records Services—Washington, DC (NW), 8601 Adelphi Rd., College Park, MD 20740-6001.

(2) Submit your written request to microfilm archival records or donated historical materials in a NARA regional archives to the Assistant Archivist for Regional Records Services (NR), 8601 Adelphi Rd., College Park, MD 20740-6001.

(3) Submit your written request to microfilm records or donated historical materials in a Presidential library or donated historical materials in the Washington area under the control of the Office of Presidential Libraries to the Assistant Archivist for Presidential Libraries (NL), 8601 Adelphi Rd., College Park, MD 20740-6001.

(4) OMB control number 3095-0017 has been assigned to the information collection contained in this section.

(b) You must submit your request to use privately owned microfilm equipment four months in advance of the proposed starting date of the microfilming project. If you submit your request with less advance notice, we consider it and may approve it if we have available adequate NARA space and staff and if you can complete all training, records preparation, and other NARA requirements in a shorter time frame.

(1) You may include in your request only one project to microfilm a complete body of documents, such as an entire series, a major continuous segment of a very large series which is reasonably divisible, or a limited number of separate series related by provenance or subject.

(2) We do not accept additional requests from an individual or organization to microfilm records in a NARA facility while we evaluate an earlier request from that individual or organization to microfilm records at that facility.

(3) We establish the number of camera spaces available to a single project based upon the total number of projects approved for filming at that time.

(a) A description of the documents you wish to copy that includes the following elements:

(1) Record group number or agency of origin or, for donated historical materials, title of the collection;

(2) Title of series or file segment;

(3) Date span; and

(4) Estimated volume in number of pages or cubic feet.

(b) The estimated amount of time (work-days) that the microfilm copying project will take; the date that you would like to begin the project; and the number of persons who would require training (see § 1254.108(b)).

(c) The number and a description of the equipment that you will use for copying including:

(1) The name of the manufacturer and model number; and

(2) The type of light source to be employed (fluorescent, tungsten, or electronic flash) and if electronic flash (i.e., strobe) or fluorescent, whether the light source is filtered to omit ultraviolet radiation.

(d) A statement of the procedures that you will follow to ensure that you copy all pages, that the images on the microfilm are legible, and that the microfilm is properly processed. At a minimum, the procedures should meet the requirements specified in part 1230 of this chapter regarding the microfilming of permanent records.

(a) You must agree to credit NARA as having custody of the original documents. The credit must appear at the beginning of a microfilm publication and in any publicity material or descriptions of the publication.

(b) If the original documents are Federal records, you must agree to include on the film this statement: “The documents reproduced in this publication are among the records of the (name of agency) in the custody of the National Archives of the United States. (Name of microfilm publication producer) does not claim any copyright interest in these official U.S. Government records.”

(c) If the original documents are donated historical materials, you must agree to include on the film this statement: “The documents reproduced in this publication are donated historical materials from (name of donor) in the custody of the (name of Presidential library or National Archives of the United States). The National Archives and Records Administration administers them in accordance with the requirements of the donor's deed of gift and the U.S. Copyright Law, Title 17, U.S.C. (Name of microfilm publication producer) does not claim any copyright interest in these donated historical materials.”

(d) If the original documents are Presidential or Vice-Presidential records as specified in 44 U.S.C. 2201, you must agree to include on the film this statement: “The documents reproduced in this publication are Presidential records in the custody of the (name of Presidential library or National Archives of the United States). The National Archives and Records Administration administers them in accordance with the requirements of Title 44, U.S.C. (Name of microfilm publication producer) does not claim any copyright interest in these official Presidential records.”

(e) If the original documents are records of Congress, you must agree to include on the film this statement: “The documents reproduced in this publication are among the records of the (House of Representatives/Senate) in the physical custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA administers them in accordance with the requirements of the (House/Senate). (Name of microfilm publication producer) does not claim any copyright interest in these official congressional records.”

You must give NARA a royalty-free worldwide license, to take effect seven years after you complete filming at the NARA facility, to publish, display, reproduce, distribute, and sell the publication, and to create derivative works based on the publication, and to use the publication in collective works, all without limitation. The license required by this section must be written to take effect upon publication if there is no commercial distributor, or once commercial distribution ends if less than seven years from the date you complete filming at the NARA facility.

(a) NARA evaluates requests by estimating how well completion of a proposed project would further our efforts to preserve and to make available to the public the historically valuable records of the Government.

(b) In considering multiple requests to film at the same time, we give priority to microfilming records that have research value for a variety of studies or that contain basic information for fields of research in which researchers have demonstrated substantial interest.

(c) The records to be filmed should be reasonably complete and not subject to future additions, especially of appreciable volumes, within the original body of records. Records with pending or future end-of-series additions are appropriate for filming.

(d) The records to be filmed should not have substantial numbers of documents withdrawn because of continuing national security classification, privacy, or other restrictions.

(e) We approve only requests to microfilm a complete body of documents, such as an entire series or a major continuous segment of a very large series that is reasonably divisible. Microfilming a complete body of documents means that you must consecutively copy all documents within the file unit(s), from the first to the last page, not skipping any pages in between except for pages that are exact duplicates or blank pages that are not included in a pagination scheme.

(f) We normally approve only requests that include assurances that the project will adhere to the specifications in part 1230 of this chapter concerning microfilm stock standards, index placement, and microfilm processing for permanent records.

(g) We approve only requests that specify that NARA will receive a first generation silver halide duplicate negative containing no splices made from the original camera negative of the microform record created in accordance with part 1230 of this chapter.

(1) We may use this duplicate negative microform to make duplicate preservation and reference copies. The copies may be made available for NARA and public use in NARA facilities and programs immediately upon receipt.

(2) We may also make additional use of the microform, as indicated in § 1254.98, seven years after you complete filming at the NARA facility, or upon delivery of the publication if there is no commercial distributor, or when the commercial distributor is no longer available, whichever occurs first. We may choose to add our own editorial material to the microform copies.

(3) You must deliver detailed roll lists with the microfilm. The lists must give the full range of file titles and a complete list of all file numbers on each roll of microfilm. We prefer that the list be provided in a fielded, electronic format to facilitate its use by staff and researchers. If the electronic format is a data file with defined or delimited fields, you should transfer with the file the records layout identifying the fields, any coded values for fields, and explanations of any delimiters.

(4) Microfilm projects may donate to us additional indexes and finding aids. NARA and the microfilm project execute a deed of gift that specifies restrictions on NARA's use and dissemination of these products under mutually acceptable terms.

(a) We do not approve any request that does not include all of the information we require in §§ 1254.94 and 1254.96.

(b) We do not normally approve requests to microfilm documents that:

(1) Have previously been microfilmed and made available to the public;

(2) We have approved for microfilming by another party; or

(3) We plan to film as a NARA microfilm publication or which relate closely to other documents previously microfilmed or approved for microfilming by NARA. We may grant exceptions to this provision at our discretion.

(c) We normally do not approve requests to microfilm documents:

(1) Having restrictions on access that preclude their reproduction;

(2) Known to be protected by copyright;

(3) Having high intrinsic value that only authorized NARA personnel may handle;

(4) In vulnerable physical condition;

(5) Having a high research demand and which we would have to deny to others for an extended period of time during the microfilming process. Where possible, we assist you in developing filming schedules that avoid the need to close documents for a lengthy period of time; and

(6) In formats, such as oversize documents, bound volumes, and others, that would be subject to excessive stress and possible damage from special equipment you plan to use, as well as documents fastened with grommets, heavy duty staples, miscellaneous fasteners, or wafers and other adhesives that cannot be removed without tearing or breaking documents.

(d) We normally do not approve requests from persons or organizations that failed to produce usable microfilm or to honor commitments they made in previous requests, or for whom we have had to rescind previous permission to microfilm documents because of their conduct.

(e) We do not approve requests to microfilm records in NARA facilities in which there is insufficient space available for private microfilming. We do not permit private microfilming in our records storage (stack) areas.

(1) Federal agencies microfilming records in support of the agency's mission may use the space set aside for private microfilming. Agency microfilming takes priority over private microfilming when there is insufficient space to accommodate both at the same time.

(2) When a NARA facility does not have enough space to accommodate all requests, we may schedule separate projects by limiting the time allowed for each particular project or by requiring projects to alternate their use of the space.

(3) We also do not approve requests where the only space available for filming is in the facility's research room, and such work would disturb researchers. We do not move records from a facility lacking space for private microfilming to another NARA facility for that purpose.

(f) We do not approve requests to microfilm records when there is not enough staff to provide the necessary support services, including document preparation, training of private microfilmers, and monitoring the filming.

(g) We do not approve the start of a project to microfilm records until you have agreed in writing to the amount and schedule of fees for any training, microfilm preparation, and monitoring we must conduct that is necessary to support your project. Our letter of tentative approval for the project includes an agreement detailing the records in the project and the detailed schedule of fees for NARA services for the project. We give final approval when we receive your signed copy of the agreement.

(a) As part of our evaluation of a request to microfilm documents, we determine the amount of microfilm preparation that we must do before you can microfilm the documents and the estimated cost of such preparation. We base fees for microfilm preparation on direct salary costs (including benefits) and supply costs when we perform the work. When a NARA contractor performs the work, the fees are the cost to NARA. Microfilm preparation includes:

(1) Removing document fasteners from documents when the fasteners can be removed without damage to the documents; and

(2) Taking any document conservation actions that must be accomplished in order to film the documents, such as document flattening or mending.

(b) We provide you detailed information on the fees for microfilm preparation in the letter of approval. You must pay fees in accordance with § 1258.14 of this chapter. When a body of documents requires extensive microfilm preparation, we may establish a different payment schedule at our discretion.

(a) Because we have limited space in many NARA facilities, microfilm/fiche equipment should be operable from a table top unless we have given written permission to use free standing/floor model cameras. You may only use planetary type camera equipment. You may not use automatic rotary cameras and other equipment with automatic feed devices. We may approve your use of book cradles or other specialized equipment designed for use with bound volumes, oversized documents, or other formats, as well as other camera types not specified here, on a case-by-case basis.

(b) The power consumption of the equipment normally must not exceed 1.2 kilowatts. Power normally available is 115 volts, 60 hz. You must make requests for electricity exceeding that normally available at least 90 days in advance.

(c) You may not use equipment having clamps or other devices to exert pressure upon or to attach the document to any surface in a way that might damage the document.

(d) The equipment must not use a heat generating light source in close enough proximity to the documents to result in their physical distortion or degradation. All sources of ultraviolet light must be filtered.

(a) Your equipment must conform to the equipment standards in § 1254.106.

(b) You must handle documents according to the training and instructions provided by our staff so that documents are not damaged during copying and so that their original order is maintained. Only persons who have attended NARA training will be permitted to handle the documents or supervise microfilming operations. We charge you fees for training services and these fees will be based on direct salary costs (including benefits) and any related supply costs. We specify these fees in the written agreement we require for project approval in § 1254.102(h).

(c) You may microfilm documents from only one file unit at a time. After you complete microfilming, you must return documents you removed from files for microfilming to their original position in the file container, refasten any fasteners you removed to facilitate copying, and remove any tabs you placed on the documents to identify items to copy. We will provide fasteners for replacement as necessary.

(d) You may not leave documents unattended on the copying equipment or elsewhere.

(e) Under normal microfilming conditions, actual copying time per sheet must not exceed 30 seconds.

(f) You must turn off any lights used with the camera when the camera is not in actual operation.

(g) You may operate microfilm equipment only in the presence of the research room attendant or a designated NARA employee. If NARA places microfilm projects in a common research area with other researchers, the project will not be required to pay for monitoring that is ordinarily provided. If the microfilm project is performed in a research room set aside for copying and filming, we charge the project fees for these monitoring services and these fees will be based on direct salary costs (including benefits). When more than one project share the same space, monitoring costs will be divided equally among the projects. We specify the monitoring service fees in the written agreement required for project approval in § 1254.102(h).

(h) The equipment normally should be in use each working day that it is in a NARA facility. The director of the NARA facility (as defined in § 1252.2 of this chapter) decides when you must remove equipment because of lack of regular use. You must promptly remove equipment upon request of the facility director.

(i) We assume no responsibility for loss or damage to microfilm equipment or supplies you leave unattended.

(j) We inspect the microform output at scheduled intervals during the project to verify that the processed film meets the microfilm preparation and filming standards required by part 1230 of this chapter. To enable us to properly inspect the film, we must receive the film within 5 days after it has been processed. You must provide NARA with a silver halide duplicate negative of the filmed records (see § 1254.100(g)) according to the schedule shown in paragraph (k). If the processed film does not meet the standards, we may require that you refilm the records.

(k) When you film 10,000 or fewer images, you must provide NARA with a silver halide duplicate negative upon completion of the project. When the project involves more than 10,000 images, you must provide a silver halide duplicate negative of the first completed roll or segment of the project reproducing this image count to NARA for evaluation. You also must provide subsequent completed segments of the project, in quantities approximating 100,000 or fewer images, to NARA within 30 days after filming unless we approve other arrangements.

(l) If the microfilming process is causing visible damage to the documents, such as flaking, ripping, separation, fading, or other damage, filming must stop immediately and until the problems can be addressed.

We may, at any time, rescind permission to microfilm records if:

(a) You fail to comply with the microfilming procedures in § 1254.108;

(b) Inspection of the processed microfilm reveals persistent problems with the quality of the filming or processing;

(c) You fail to proceed with the microfilming or project as indicated in the request, or

(d) The microfilming project has an unanticipated adverse effect on the condition of the documents or the space set aside in the NARA facility for microfilming.

(e) You fail to pay NARA fees in the agreed to amount or on the agreed to payment schedule.