Ft. Meade, Maryland –
In October 2017, Defense Visual Information Records Center in Riverside, California, began the process of transferring more than 7,000 individual 16 mm and 35 mm motion picture films to the National Archives and Records Administration.
The films, mostly produced by the Army, Air Force and Navy, represent the first film transfer to NARA since 1998.
All of these films have been digitized and are available within Defense Visual Information Archive (DVIA), which can be found at http://www.dimoc.mil/quick/physicalImagery.html.
Only physical VI records determined permanent according to the DoD VI Records Schedule are digitized and provided digitally to the Department via the DVIA.
After digitization and curation, these permanent records are then scheduled for transfer to NARA.
The digital file will also be transferred to the National Archives for greater access by the general public.
The 7,000 films are in the process of being shipped to NARA.
The first shipment, in November, was cause for celebration at Riverside (Figure A).
DIMOC’s comprehensive workflow overhaul is successfully repairing the former reputation of being a “black hole” for VI records.
Over the next five years, DIMOC will continue to improve and streamline its processes, including full resumption of regular transfers to NARA.