What is...Microform?
Microform materials contain significantly shrunken images or documents and may be stored on a translucent or opaque medium. There are a variety of types of microform materials, common ones include microfilm and microfiche.
Almost all microform material held by City Archives is in microfilm format. One reel of microfilm can contain thousands of images. Examples of microfilmed materials in our collection are local newspapers, hand-written city record volumes, and city directories.
Preservation
If stored in the ideal climate-controlled environment, microfilm can last up to 500 years, and it can always be read with a light source and magnifier. Microfilm is also a useful tool for creating access copies.
Size
The microfilm held by City Archives comes in two sizes: 16mm or 35mm. The number refers to the width of the film. Those values equate to just over a half inch or just over a whole inch, respectively.
Searching Microfilm
Microfilm is not generated with OCR technology, therefore it cannot be keyword searched the way that digital files can. However, many microfilmed records also contain microfilmed indexes that can be used to locate records. Microfilm also must be viewed in person, not remotely.
Using historical indexes may be a new experience for some researchers. Microfilmed handwritten index volumes are arranged by first letter, but are often entered chronologically. This means that names may not be alphabetized, so researchers will need to review all of the names on the page.
Learn More:
National Archives and Records Administration: Microfilm
New Orleans Public Library: Library Equipment Through the Ages
Society of American Archivists: Dictionary of Archives Terminology
This blog post was written by Amy DeNisco in 2024.
