Microfilm is an information storage medium that preserves important documents while saving an enormous amount of space. According to the Southern Regional Library at UCLA, microfilm storage results in 99 percent space savings when compared with the original material. Microfilm is in fact nothing more than ordinary 35mm camera film. Workers carefully photograph newspapers, magazines, books and other documents and sell the film to libraries. Boxed microfilm is often stored in drawers near the microfilm readers.
A microfilm reader consists of a spool on which the user places the film roll. The film is fed over a flat viewing surface and attached to a separate spool. A light shines upward through the film, while the magnified image on the film is projected onto a vertical screen for comfortable reading. Various knobs and levers allow the user to manipulate the size and orientation of the microfilm. With the touch of a button, the entire roll can be rewound back onto its spool for safekeeping.
In the past, users performed printing functions directly from the microfilm reader. Libraries often charged small fees for each page printed. Now, computer terminals attached to the microfilm readers give users more options for managing their research. Software on the computer allows images to be virtually scanned, saved into a folder and copied to a portable storage device. The user can forgo the printing operation, saving both time and paper. Users who prefer the feel of the printed page can still make hard copies at their convenience.
Electronic storage mediums have gone a long way towards making microfilm readers obsolete. Still, most libraries maintain microfilm collections of local and regional newspapers, among other items. The time and money to replace established holdings are outside the budgets of smaller libraries. However, new acquisitions which in the past would have been in microfilm format are now entirely digital. The storage life of well-kept microfilm remains impressive at nearly 500 years, but that pales in comparison to digital media, which can theoretically last forever.