36 C.F.R. § 1237.26 – What materials and processes must agencies use to create audiovisual records?

Agencies must:

(a) For picture negatives and motion picture preprints (negatives, masters, and all other copies) of permanent, long-term temporary, or unscheduled records, use polyester base media and process in accordance with industry standards as specified in ISO 18906 (incorporated by reference, see § 1237.3).
1. (1) Ensure that residual sodium thiosulfate (hypo) on newly processed black-and-white photographic film does not exceed 0.014 grams per square meter.
2. (2) Require laboratories to process film in accordance with this standard. Process color film in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.
3. (3) If using reversal type processing, require full photographic reversal; i.e., develop, bleach, expose, develop, fix, and wash.
(b) Avoid using motion pictures in a final “A & B” format (two precisely matched reels designed to be printed together) for the reproduction of excerpts or stock footage.
(c) Use only industrial or professional video and audio recording equipment, new and previously unrecorded magnetic tape stock and blank optical media (e.g., DVD and CD), for original copies of permanent, long-term temporary, or unscheduled recordings. Limit the use of consumer formats to distribution or reference copies or to subjects scheduled for destruction. Avoid using videocassettes in the VHS format for use as originals of permanent or unscheduled records.
(d) Record permanent, long-term, temporary, or unscheduled audio recordings on optical media from major manufacturers. Avoid using cassettes as originals for permanent records or unscheduled records (although they may be used as reference copies).
(e) For born-digital or scanned digital images that are scheduled as permanent or unscheduled, a record (or master) version of each image must be comparable in quality to a 35 mm film photograph or better, and must be saved in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) or JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF, JPEG). For more detailed requirements on image format and resolution, see § 1235.48(e) of this subchapter. For temporary digital photographs, agencies select formats that they deem most suitable for fulfillment of business needs.