As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining our extensive microfilm collection, Stanford University Library and Academic Information Resources (SULAIR) recently upgraded the equipment and furnishings of the Media Microtext Center in Green Library. These improvements will make it easier for Stanford scholars to access SULAIR's unique microfilm holdings.
New Digital Scanners and Improved Space
Our new microfilm reader scanner machines provide researchers with the option of viewing, printing and/or digitally scanning microfilm documents. The scanning option allows users to edit microfilm images and then save a digital copy for later use on their own computer. Researchers will also appreciate the new, ergonomic furniture and improved lighting in the Media Microtext Center.
Stanford Scholars Depend on Microfilm Collection
In addition to the large numbers of journal and newspaper titles available on microfilm, Green Library's microfilm collection also contains many rare documents, such as diaries, letters, rare books, maps, and government documents. Access to other libraries' microfilm collections is also available via SULAIR's interlibrary loan services.
Our collection of 19th century railroad records have been crucial to the work of Richard White, the Margaret Byrne Professor of American History:
"I am not even close to exhausting the resources here. Stanford holds one of the largest, best, and most diverse microfilm collections that I have encountered in the United States...These microfilm records contain handwritten materials - letters, reports, drafts of literary materials, tables, hand-drawn maps...The material is often quite fragile in the original and accessible only through microfilm. I can sit in the basement of Green and go through original records from around the world."
David Riggs, the Mark Pigott OBE Professor of English and author of the recently-published The World of Christopher Marlowe, relied heavily on microfilm copies of 16th century manuscripts and court documents obtained through Stanford's inter-library loan services. By providing access to the microfilm version of these documents, the Media Microtext Center (with the help of Inter-Library Services) enabled Riggs to conduct his research here at Stanford rather than having to travel to England.
"To do adequate research you need to get beneath the surface of the printed page and get back to the original sources in order to develop a sensitivity to the speech and patterns of the period which will bring your characters to life. These transcripts are populated with real scoundrels and criminals whose words fascinated me."
For More Information
The best way to learn more about our rich microfilm collection is to visit the Media Microtext Center on the lower level of Green Library. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be available to help you locate materials and get started using our new microfilm reader/scanners.
Phone: 723-9394
Media Microtext Web Site http://library.stanford.edu/depts/microtext/index.html
Coordinator for Media Microtext Services: Jim Kent, jimkent@stanford.edu
