DBI outlines $5 million records‑digitization plan; public urges citywide coordination

Department of Building Inspection staff presented a plan to digitize archival records, telling the commission the project will require additional staffing and outside contracting to complete.

Pamela Levin said DBI currently has $1.7 million set aside and estimates the project will cost about $5 million in total, with a 3–5 year duration once a contract starts. The department described the holdings as including 16mm and 35mm microfilm (tens of thousands of frames), approximately 250 boxes of paper records dating to the early 1900s, job cards, certificates of final completion, and other materials that require careful handling.

Levin proposed a hybrid approach: outsource the high‑volume scanning to contractors and keep indexing and quality control in‑house. She said DBI will request an RFP, consult with unions, and expects to hire temporary records staff (an estimated five additional positions) to speed indexing and maintain existing records service levels while the project proceeds.

Commissioners asked whether other departments—such as the Public Library, the Assessor, or the Public Utilities Commission—could share costs or coordinate to achieve economies of scale. Public commenter Nancy Werfel urged a coordinated, citywide approach and stressed that scanning alone is insufficient without accurate indexing for retrieval. DBI staff agreed to explore cross‑department coordination and to present RFP plans to the unions.

DBI repeatedly emphasized that indexing and metadata are essential; staff warned that scanning without retrievable indexing would not meet public needs. The commission requested follow‑up during the upcoming budget process and asked staff to consider staging and potential shared funding opportunities across city departments.