Geosciences Research Guide
Microforms

Microforms are books, journals, or other items printed in miniaturized form on rolls of film, sheets of transparent plastic, or opaque sheets. The long rolls are called microfilm while those on small rectangular sheets are called microfiche. The white, opaque sheets are known as microprints or microcards. Microforms allow materials to be preserved in non-paper format and conserve storage space.

The Periodicals/Microforms area of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library has special machines (microform reader-printers) for viewing all microform formats. The Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library has a microform reader-printer located near the reference collection for viewing and printing microfilm and microfiche. 

There are many specialized collections and items of potential interest to researchers in the Microforms area, including current and historical newspapers, periodicals, UMass Amherst dissertations, government documents, and individual and family papers. Examples of microform collections of relevance to geosciences follow.

NASA Collection (UM/Science Microfiche 6-16A)
Planetary and earth satellite photographs.

USGS Open-File Reports (UM/Science Microfiche) (Online)
Includes unpublished manuscript reports, and maps. Index to USGS Open-File Reports: Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (UM/Science Ref TL 500.S35)

For further information on the materials in the microforms collections, contact Maxine Schmidt (413) 545-6739; mschmidt@library.umass.edu).