Digital Scanning & Document Management for Education

Student records, transcripts, microfilm, and archives — scanned, indexed, and delivered for schools, districts, colleges, and libraries.

Your records are the institution’s memory. Permanent student records, transcripts, cumulative folders, HR files, board minutes, yearbooks, newspapers, special collections — decades of them, sitting on paper, microfilm, and microfiche that fewer and fewer people know how to use.

We convert those records to digital. BMI scans, indexes, and delivers your files into the system you already use — or hosts them in Digital ReeL, our secure application built for fast lookups. Either way, your staff finds any record in seconds instead of digging through a file room.

  • 65+ years of experience with schools, colleges, and libraries

  • Student records handled in line with FERPA requirements

  • Secure chain of custody scanning services

  • SOC 2 Type II audited operations

Solutions for every kind of education institution

A school district, a university registrar, and a public library don’t have the same records — or the same problems. Pick your lane below, or reach out and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Libraries & Archives

Historical collections, newspapers, yearbooks, bound ledgers, and fragile materials that need careful handling — plus preservation microfilm for collections that require an eye-readable archival copy.

  • Digitization of fragile and bound materials, handled by people who do this every day
  • Scanning of archival microfilm to preserve local history collections
  • Newprint scanning of hard copy titles and magazines

→ More on the Libraries & Archives page.

College & University Registrars

Transcripts and student records on microfilm and microfiche, often going back to the early 1900s. We digitize them and import them into the content management system you already run — no rip-and-replace required.

→ More on the College & University Registrars page.

Schools & Districts

Cumulative folders, permanent records, special education files, HR and personnel records, board minutes. Most districts are required to keep this stuff for decades — and most of it is in filing cabinets nobody wants to touch.

→ More on the Schools & Districts page.

How a project works

  1. Tell us what you have. Record types, formats, and a rough volume — boxes, drawers, or rolls is fine. We’ll talk through it and can test a sample so you see real results first.
  2. Get a fixed scope and price. Your work order lays out transportation, scanning, indexing, and delivery — big to small, no surprises.
  3. We scan and index. Your records are tracked from pickup through our SOC 2-audited facility, box by box and roll by roll.
  4. You get your records back — digital. Delivered into your existing system, or hosted in Digital ReeL with secure access for your staff.

Education institutions we’ve worked with

➡️ Napa County Library, CA

“In the past, our newspaper microfilm archive was only available at our physical location. Since January (2016), we’ve averaged 45,000+ image requests per month and users are from all over the world.”

— Anthony Halstead, Assistant Director of Library Services & Community Outreach

Read the Napa County case study →

➡️ University of Maryland Global Campus, MD

“UMGC partnered with BMI Imaging Systems to digitize legacy student records — microfilm, microfiche, paper transcripts, and CDs — across our Stateside, Europe, and Asia campuses. We can now retrieve records quickly without on-campus machine searches. Thank you to the project team for clear communication and smooth coordination; we truly appreciate the support from BMI in making this project a success.”

— La Candance Queen, Assistant Director, Student Records

➡️ Nogales High School, CA

“Having access to our aging files in digital format has been mind-blowing. Locating older files was a drag: having to pull the microfilm, threading through the microfilm reader, and looking for a specific file — then adjusting and still not getting a clear image. It was time-consuming and disappointing. Transitioning to digital is the best decision we could have made. We can get rid of our massive microfilm reader machine since now we have clear images of all our older records. It now takes us seconds to locate a file. Thank you BMI for making a chore into an easy and fun task.”

— Jova Bovadilla, Guidance Secretary

➡️ UC Berkeley, CA

“BMI made our PR card scanning project incredibly smooth from start to finish. The M1 sample gave us confidence in the quality, pricing, and naming conventions, and the full project was completed much faster than expected. We’ve eliminated aging physical records, centralized everything digitally, and gained real peace of mind knowing these files are finally preserved and accessible.”

— Justin Selph, Associate Registrar

Frequently asked questions

How do you digitize student records like transcripts and cumulative folders?

We pick up your records (or you ship them to us), scan them at our secure facility, and index each file so you can find it by name, student ID, or date. Then we deliver the digital files into your existing system — or host them in Digital ReeL. Paper, microfilm, and microfiche are all fair game.

Are student records handled in compliance with FERPA?

Student records are protected under FERPA, and we treat them that way. Our facility is SOC 2 Type II audited, access is restricted, and we maintain a documented chain of custody from pickup to delivery.

How much does it cost to scan student records or microfilm?

It depends on what you have — paper, microfilm, or microfiche — and how much of it. Most projects are priced per image or per file. The fastest way to get a real number is a free quote: tell us what you have and we’ll scope it.

Can you scan hard copy newsprint and newspaper microfilm?

Absolutely. We’ve worked on hundreds of projects involving both types of materials, and we can offer our recommendations on how to make it work for you. In most cases, our clients get issue-level indexing, so it’s simple for your patrons and staff to find the exact issue they’re looking for.

What happens to our records after scanning?

Your call. Once you’ve reviewed and approved the digital files, we can return the originals, or securely destroy them with a certificate of destruction.

How long does a scanning project take?

It depends on volume and complexity — a single cabinet of microfilm moves a lot faster than a project involving multiple locations with many cabinets of microfilm, hard copies (such as transcripts or newsprint). Your work order includes a project timeline before we start, so you’ll know what to expect.

Can you scan fragile materials — bound ledgers, yearbooks, deteriorating microfilm?

Yes. We handle fragile and historical materials regularly for libraries and archives, including bound books and film that’s starting to degrade. Aging film is actually a reason to move sooner — it doesn’t get better sitting in a drawer.

Can our staff access the digital records online?

Yes. Digital ReeL gives your staff secure, browser-based access with permission controls — so a registrar or librarian can pull a record in seconds instead of hunting through a file room or a fiche reader.

Helpful Resources

Just getting started on your digital conversion? These are good places to learn more about scanning projects:

  • BMI blogs — plain-language articles about paper scanning, microfilm conversion, secure processes, and more.
  • The Digital Imaging Channel — our YouTube channel that gives you long-form videos and shorts all about digitization projects.
  • Project Estimator — before talking to anyone, you can see what your project may cost with our estimator tool. Great as a starting point.

Ready to get your records out of the file room?

Tell us what you have — paper, microfilm, or microfiche — and we’ll put together a free, no-obligation project quote.

Clients:

Trusted by school districts, colleges, universities, and libraries across the country.