Coconino County Superior Court (Flagstaff, Arizona) Uses Digital ReeL Microfilm & Microfiche Conversion Solution
Single microfilm and microfiche conversion solution enables immediate, digital court record retrieval from computer workstation
Sunnyvale, California – July 7, 2011 – BMI Imaging Systems, a leading provider of document management and microfilm / microfiche conversion solutions, announced that Coconino County Superior Court, Arizona, is using BMI Imaging’s Digital ReeL as its microfilm and microfiche conversion solution.
The Clerk of the Superior Court’s Office serves as the official record keeper and financial officer for the Superior Court of Coconino County, Arizona. The functions of the Clerk of the Court are far-reaching, satisfying more than 500 state statutes and court rules. A key function of the office is to preserve records and provide the public, court, media and legal community access to all records.
In the past, records (e.g. domestic, criminal, civil, probate, and adoption cases, plus marriage licenses) were archived on microfiche and microfilm. Information retrieval from microfiche was cumbersome and once it became expensive and difficult for Coconino County Courts to find reader printer maintenance, the Clerk’s Office sought to eliminate this legacy technology.
While in pursuit of a microfilm and microfiche conversion solution, Coconino County received a Digital ReeL product demonstration. Deborah Young, Clerk of Superior Court, states, “We had unique indexing requirements that necessitated a single solution for both case numbers and marriage license book and pages. BMI Imaging has experience digitizing court records and was able to work with us to implement a solution that properly addressed both of these indexing requirements.”
Out-of-Date Microfilm Technology and Lack of Reader Printer Maintenance Facilitates the Move to a Digital Solution
The Clerk of the Coconino County Superior Court’s Office is required to archive all court records in perpetuity. The Clerk of Court’s Office archives court case files and marriage licenses on microfilm rolls for disaster recovery purposes. Prior to Digital ReeL, the Office made index information available to the public on microfilm rolls. Actual case files and licenses were presented to the public on microfiche. Citizens such as genealogists, law enforcement and other citizens conducting research would use reader printers to access the microfilm indexes and then the records on microfiche. Young states, “As time went on, depreciation and aging equipment led us to start looking for a digital solution. We could no longer find a reliable company to provide us reader printer maintenance due to the legacy nature of the technology.”
Digital ReeL Supports Unique Indexing Requirements
Most of the Arizona Clerk of Court’s records were organized by case number. For example, criminal cases began with CR and adoption cases began with AD and then each were followed by the unique case numbers. Other records like marriage licenses were organized by book and page. Young states, “One of the unique aspects that the BMI Digital ReeL solution delivered was an easy-to-use product backed by a team with experience converting records with both types of indexing requirements. They were able to offer us one simple system through Digital ReeL to organize and present the information.”
Easy-to-Find Information From a Publicly Accessible PC Workstation
After BMI completed the microfilm and microfiche conversion service at its Northern California service bureau, BMI was able to customize the Digital ReeL application for the public-facing workstation. Users can now access index information on the digital microfilm rolls and then easily click over within one application to the actual records stored on the digital microfiche images to find the required case and license records.
In the past, citizens might request a particular case and clerks would have to pull multiple microfilm rolls to locate the index information and then search through multiple microfiche records to locate the particular case. Making copies was then an additional hassle. Now, citizens can access a workstation with Digital ReeL to easily find the indexes and then click on the digital microfiche records. From there users can quickly save PDF copies, email and print necessary information.
About BMI Imaging’s Digital ReeL
Digital ReeL is a complete Arizona microfiche conversion solution. BMI will convert your microfilm to virtual, digital microfilm rolls at one of our secure facilities (optional, on-site option available). The Digital ReeL microfilm conversion service creates a digital replica of your original microfilm (or microfiche) – the entire microfilm roll is digitally converted. The Digital ReeL microfilm conversion solution includes a software application that emulates microfilm retrieval from a reader printer. Users retrieve virtual microfilm rolls from a PC workstation, avoiding the hassles that come with physical microfilm and legacy reader printers.
About BMI Imaging
Since 1958, BMI Imaging Systems has been a leader in microfilm scanning, microfiche conversion, aperture card conversion and document management solutions. BMI offers industry-leading scanning products from Canon and the ApplicationXtender document management product line from EMC Corporation. In addition, BMI has developed the Digital ReeL microfilm and microfiche scanning solution, which is available nationwide. Today, BMI staff consists of 80 employees, many who have been with BMI for decades. BMI converts an average of 3 million images per month. BMI serves commercial and government agencies throughout the United States and has developed a customer list of more than 2,000 accounts. BMI is headquartered just outside San Francisco in Sunnyvale, California, with an additional production and sales facility in Sacramento, California.