MICROFILM

Bobst Library Microform Collection

Readers and Printers

The Microforms Center is located on the Lower Level 2 (LL2) in Bobst Library. It is a central facility offering access to a variety of materials in many disciplines -- from 19th century newspapers to Time Magazine to dissertations; from collections of early scientific monographs to British Parliamentary Papers. The Center is designed for self-service access, with staff on hand to locate materials or help with the equipment. Microforms do not circulate.

Two machines allow users to scan microfilm and microfiche images and save them to Zip disk. While the scanning software does not allow users to manipulate images, the saved images can then be manipulated using an image editor.

These new machines also print microfilm and microfiche pages in the same way that the older machines do. There is no charge to save digital microfilm images.

Hours of operation
Newspapers and journals on microfilm

Locating Microforms in Bobst Library

Microforms are included in BobCat and most are located in the microform center (LL2). They are organized by format (i.e. microfilm, microfiche, and microprint/card). Within each format they are divided by the type of material (periodical,dissertation, etc.). They will generally be organized alphabetically by title or numerically by their film number, which should appear in BobCat. Examples of some high-use items are:

CONTEMPORARY NEWSPAPERS (New York Times, Washington Post, Village Voice, etc.) and contemporary magazines and journals (Newsweek, Scientific American, American Historical Review, etc.) are filed alphabetically in the Microforms Room (the west room of the center).

MICROFICHE is shelved in the Microforms Reading Room, along the sides of the room. As of 1991, in order to save space, subscriptions to contemporary newspapers and magazines were changed to fiche whenever possible. Thus, many titles end in microfilm with 1990 and begin in microfiche with 1991. ERIC documents are also available on microfiche, they are filed by their "ED" number, for example, ED082531. ERIC citations with EJ numbers (e.g. EJ789452) refer to journal articles. Check BobCat for the journal titles.

MICROPRINT items (Landmarks of Science, Early American Newspapers to 1820,etc.) are shelved at the south end of the Microforms Reading Room. They are shelved by their call number. For example, MP2 or MP13.

Printed Guides to Microform Collections

Bobst Library owns many collections on microform. Many of these series also have printed guides. These guides are very useful sources for identifying the content of the microform series (since many series do not have their individual items cataloged separately). Most printed guides also have some type of subject index. Inquire at Reference or the Microforms Center Help Desk for more details.

Other Microform Locations in Bobst

Not all microform collections in Bobst Library are housed in the Microform Center. For instance, some annual reports for corporations and some government documents are kept on microfiche in the Social Science Reference Center on the 6th floor (Bobst Ref6 in BobCat). The Tamiment Library & Wagner Archives house several microforms in their collections (Tamiment in BobCat), and parts of the National Union Catalog on microfiche are kept in General and Humanities Reference on the first floor (Bobst Ref1 in BobCat). If you have questions about a Bobst microform location, ask at Reference.

Equipment & Photocopying

The Microform Center has viewers to read microforms, and combined readers/printers that produce paper copies from microform. Copying is self-service. Machines are coin- or card-operated. Copy card and change machines are located on LL2. When there is high demand for reader/printers, a 30-minute time limit may be imposed.