Microforms (Microfilm, Microfiche, Ultrafiche)

Most microforms are stored at the Calabasas facility with the exception of the ERIC microfiche and microfilm of selected education journals which are stored at the West L.A. campus.  Microfilm is on a reel, microfiche is a small plastic card; ultrafiche is also a small plastic card, but the individual pages on the card are very small. Microforms stored in Calabasas should be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

• Educational Resources Information Center or ERIC (at West L.A.)
  Documents, with abstracts, published by the Educational Research Information Center (ERIC). ERIC includes report literature in the field of education and related fields, including early childhood education and development, interpersonal and social skills, perception and cognition, and tests and measurements. The ERIC collection is indexed in the ERIC database. Many ERIC (ED) documents published in the 1990s are available online in the ERIC database.
• Library of American Civilization or LAC 
  A collection of materials (approximately 20,000 volumes) relating to all aspects of American life and literature from the 15th-century exploration to the outbreak of WWI. Included are pamphlets, periodicals, documents (both public and private), biographies and autobiographies, fictional works, poetry, collections of various kinds, material of foreign origin relating to America, and many rare books.  The titles in the LAC collection are included in the Library’s online catalog.  To browse the collection by author, title, or subject, consult The Microbook Library of American Civilization. Note: Digitized copies of many LAC titles can be found in Google Books, Open Library, or Project Gutenberg. 
• Library of English Literature or LEL 
  A collection of literary works (over 2,500 volumes) of Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, Tudor, Elizabethan, Jacobean, etc. and materials of all genres: poetry, drama, essays, prose fiction, and religious, philosophical and critical works. Included are first editions and early imprints, together with significant supplementary materials, bibliographies, letters, critical studies, biographies, and historical accounts. The titles in the LEL collection are included in the library's online catalog. To browse the collection by author or title, consult The Microbook Library of English Literature.

Government microfiche are checked in online and brief cataloging records are created for each item. The microfiche are then arranged, according to their Superintendent of Documents number, in microfiche filing cabinets located in Calabasas. Note: The majority of microfiche materials are now available online.

The library has some journals and newspapers on microfilm.  These include a number of historical Churches of Christ publications.  The New York Times from Sept. 13, 1857 through Dec. 31, 2008 is available on microfilm.  All microfilm is included in the library's online catalog.  Because the microfilm is stored in Calabasas, please request specific dates of microfilm through Interlibrary Loan.

Our microform reader is attached to a PC with a vertical display. It can be used for reading microfilm, microfiche, and ultrafiche.  If you have never used the reader, please ask a librarian for assistance. This reader digitizes the microfilm/microfiche which can then be saved to a flash drive.