As times change and technologies develop, it’s important that we protect the old ways of working to ensure that we can all access legacy records and learn from the past.
The Cheshire Archives & Local Studies service identifies, collects and cares for archives and publications that are the evidence of Cheshire communities’ lives, both past and present. Members of the public can access the collections for information, learning and work. The team at Cheshire Archives work hard to make sure archives survive for future generations to do the same.
Maintaining quality kit
To support the team, Cull’s experts keep the kit working in tip top condition. The machines, a Canon MS400 and a Fileprint 400 reader printer, are based at the records office in Cheshire and allow the public to search and view old microfilm records. The collection of 35mm roll film microfilm – typical for use in the storage of publications and records between the 1920s and 1980s – can be searched and reprinted, using the MS400 digital reader printer.
In testing the quality of the machine, we happened to pick up a record dating back to 1742. The Cheshire Archives and Local Studies Service has many thousands of records in its care, some dating from as far back as the 12th century.
On the spot reparation
When we visited, one of the machines had a fault – a large black band was being produced on the prints. Damian, an expert in microfilm reparation, was able to fix it on the spot, and high quality printing resumed.
Cull service and repair all type of Microfilm reader printers that these days are mainly found at libraries or records offices. If you’d like to know more about microfilm reader maintenance and repair, please get in touch.