Microforms, Part III: Microfilm

In the last part of this series on microformats at Hewes library, we’ll talk about microfilm, the material contained on small reels similar to movie film. The only current title that the library receives in the microfilm format is the New York Times. While you can get access to most current New York Times articles via the databases Lexis/Nexis and America’s Newspapers, these sources do not display the articles in context. The microfilm reproduces the exact look of the newspaper; layout, advertisements and pictures. This is not found in either of the two databases.

Microfilm was also the format preferred by the library for the back issues of magazines from 1967 until 1992, when the shift was made to microfiche. Some magazines that have been around for a long time like Time and Newsweek have issues available in print (for pre-1967 issues), microfilm (1967-1992) and microfiche (1993- present). Be sure to check the location information for the library’s magazine titles in found in the library catalog record or in the Journals: A to Z list to locate the issues you need.

There are also microfilm copies of some regional Civil War Era newspapers such as the Cairo City Gazette and the Keokuk Des Moines Valley Whig. All of the microfilm is filed alphabetically in the cabinets found on the right hand wall of the microforms room. The same readers used for microfiche can be used to read and print from the microfilm. If you need assistance in locating a title or would like more information on the microfilm and microfiche collections at Hewes, ask any librarian.