Searching for Microforms

Searching for individual titles:

Most individual titles in microform can be found in the Library's online catalog. One may search for a title or author as one would for any other material.

Searching for collections and individual items included in a collection:

Thousands of titles and items are included within collections on microform. Because these collections are not analyzed, individual titles cannot be found with a catalog search. To find items one must first identify the larger collection relevant to one’s research and then consult the collection’s contents through a guide.

1. Consult a reference librarian for help with these collections and guides.
2. Consider the use of WorldCat as an index to collections of books in microformat. One may search an individual title in WorldCat, adding the word microfilm. Once the title is found, the full record will indicate if the item is part of a larger collection. One may then search the Library of Congress catalog or ask a reference librarian for assistance in finding the collection.
3. A useful but dated list of the collections and guides can be found in A Guide to the Microform Collections in the Researcher and Reference Services Division of the Library of Congress.