Microfilm-how to use?

[crainbebo]

When I was at my local library on Sunday, they had microfilm of the Seattle Times and P.I. from at least 1910-mid 2000s. How do I do a Retro listing with microfilm? And, for the people that go to their library for listings, do you guys print them out and write down the Retro listings that way? Thank you for the Retro listings!

-crainbebo

 

[searadiofreak]

Microfilm of old newspapers is fantastic, but it is now an old technology. I used it greatly in the 80's. To my knowledge, there is no way to copy this material, unless libraries have new tech that allows it. Even the microfilm must have some shelf-life concerns, and I would guess many libraries will be digitizing this material, if they have not already. Interesting topic.

 

[willdav713]

Microfilm of old newspapers is fantastic, but it is now an old technology. I used it greatly in the 80's. To my knowledge, there is no way to copy this material, unless libraries have new tech that allows it. Even the microfilm must have some shelf-life concerns, and I would guess many libraries will be digitizing this material, if they have not already. Interesting topic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfilm#Format_conversion

Digitizing microfilm can be inexpensive when automated scanners are employed. The Utah Digital Newspapers Program has found that, with automated equipment, scanning can be performed at $0.15 per page.[17] Recent additions to the digital scanner field have brought the cost of scanning down substantially so that when large projects are scanned (millions of pages) the price per scan can be pennies.

 

[Tim L]

Most Libraries of any size have the ability to make paper copies of microfilm. It does cost some, but it's kind of cool to be able to do such copying..

I used to go to the Akron (Ohio)-Summit County Library to do some TV Guide copying from paper issues dating as far back as 1959..I usually can take about $5.00 and copy a couple of issues' Listings if they arent too many pages (5 cents a copy)..They also have Akron Beacon Journal Microfilm on file..
Cleveland has TV Guide from the beginning on Microfilm as well as The Cleveland Press, Plain Dealer and News On Microfilm..

I also have some home access to Newspaper Archive from Akron and The Plain Dealer Archives (1845-1991 Full paper and 1991 on-stories only) courtesy Cleveland Public Library..All you need is a good printer and your in business..I would think a lot of libraries have similar home access..

 

[nocomradio]

I've spent a large number of hours in Virginia's State Library and there you can make copies on paper of any microfilm that is available for public use. It requires loading the film into a separate machine, running it to the frame you want, then simply copying at the resolution you choose. There is a small charge per page. You can do it on a standard 8 X11 sheet, or a legal size sheet too.

 

[Darth_vader]

The fancy Minolta microfilm (and I think microfiche as well, but I could be wrong) viewers they have at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library units have printers built in, which (last I used them) ran 10 cents per page. They had those same kind of machines down at the Multnomah County Library main unit downtown Portland about 10 years ago. Pretty cool being able to run off copies directly from film!

[size=8pt]Used to spend a LOT of time downtown at the library, just browsing the microfilmed Columbian and Oregonian archives when I was a kid! It was always very fascinating; those few filing cabinets are practically an entire history museum unto themselves.....

 

[crainbebo]

Another question-have you ever seen any libraries that had back issues of TV Guide, on print form and not microfilm. If so, I may try to ask and see if they've got some TVG issues. If so, it probably would be Western Washington [local] editions however.

-crainbebo

 

[Darth_vader]

Can't say I've ever seen "TV Guide" at FVRL. I do remember the downtown Vancouver (main) unit had "TV Host", which was a locally-produced "TV Guide" clone, for a while in the mid-1990s but it was discontinued about as long ago. I really doubt they'd have any past issues of it in their files, but you could always ask......

 

[crainbebo]

I'll try, because the library where I am has a huge collection of magazines [I'm talking pretty much every issue of Better Homes and Gardens from 1960ish-2012, Trains Magazine dating back to 1963, etc].

-crainbebo

 

[briancraig]

Since TV Guide was at one time the best selling magazine in the U.S., I've always been surprised that more libraries didn't subscribe and keep back issues.

My local library (Memphis) had TV Guide on microfilm from 1953 to 1990 but discarded it when they moved although the University of Memphis has it on microfilm up to 1976.

For older issues of TV Guide, university libraries are usually a better bet than public libraries. The Ole Miss library has TV Guide on microfilm as does MTSU and UT, but I know of no other public libraries around the Mid-South that kept TV Guide except the Nashville library has a microfilm run of 1978-1990.

Both the University of Alabama and SMU (Dallas) libraries have old paper copies of TV Guide rather than microfilm.

Some special libraries kept TV Guide. The Country Music Foundation library in Nashville has a complete paper run.

Of course the Library of Congress has complete microfilm runs for all editions.

 

[nocomradio]

Every Sunday issue of the Washington Post used to include their weekly version of a tv guide. It was about 20 pages or so and listed the week's programming. I don't know if any of those would have been included in any of the newspaper microfilms, but it might be worth a look.

 

[briancraig]

Yes, the Washington Post tv section is included on the microfilm with the rest of the Sunday paper.

 

[crainbebo]

Very nice. Maybe today I'll ask and see if they've got TVG on the microfilm or print form, then if so, you will see a LOT more Retro listings...

Also the Seattle Times would likely have their TV Times section in the paper. I'll look at the microfilm soon. And YES...the library has Washington Post on microfilm as well. But no Oregonian or SF Chronicle surprisingly...

-crainbebo

 

[ajc_trw]

When I was at my local library on Sunday, they had microfilm of the Seattle Times and P.I. from at least 1910-mid 2000s. How do I do a Retro listing with microfilm? And, for the people that go to their library for listings, do you guys print them out and write down the Retro listings that way? Thank you for the Retro listings!

-crainbebo

If you have a camera in your phone or just a regular digital camera (or a film camera may work) you can just bring up what you want copied on the view screen and snap a photo. Then you could view the pic on your computer and type out the info from the photo.

Hope this helps.

 

[crainbebo]

I think I'll try and print out, if it's not too expensive. Then you'll see more Retro listings...

-crainbebo

 

[crainbebo]

I went to the library today, and printed out three TV listings [Seattle], one 1986, one 1995, one 1996. Those three listings will be posted at a later date. Will go back and print more soon. The copies are 10c a page.

There are no TV Guides, only the later 2000s national crap-o issues. None on microfilm either.

-crainbebo

 

[TexasTom]

Apparently, the Lakewood (WA) public library has one of the slicker microfilm systems out there.

I've used it when I'm visiting family to copy stuff from old issues of the Tacoma News Tribune -- and it actually lets me save images from the microfilm as PDFs on a USB memory stick. It's both convenient and free.

Surely there are other libraries that have this sort of set up?

 

[Scoobyfan1]

Apparently, the Lakewood (WA) public library has one of the slicker microfilm systems out there.

I've used it when I'm visiting family to copy stuff from old issues of the Tacoma News Tribune -- and it actually lets me save images from the microfilm as PDFs on a USB memory stick. It's both convenient and free.

Surely there are other libraries that have this sort of set up?

TexasTom, I know exactly the system you're talking about(as i've used it on a number of occasions to do the exact thing you mentioned). Actually, I have a few flash drives and i've saved images from the microfilm on them.

I do agree that it's one of the better microfilm reading systems out there, and the fact that I live in the area makes it pretty convenient. Much better then the old system they had where you could only print copies of what you wanted to save; much cheaper as well, considering copies are ten cents apiece.

 

[Darth_vader]

Last I was at FVRL (quite a few years ago) they didn't have that kind of system; heck, USB flash drives were still pretty new and hard to come by at that point (gives you a rough idea how many years it has been.) I'd bet they probably do now, since moving into their new building at Evergreen Boulevard and "C" Street, which supposedly has "upgraded" facilities.

@crainbebo--
I just remembered they did take the liberty of filming the Columbian's weekly TV section ("TV Times") before they switched over to the crap $2-extra-per-copy third party TV section a few months ago, and I think they may have done the same with the Oregonian's version ("TV Click") as well. Next time you're down here, you might consider checking it out.

Last I saw, all the newspapers were in 35mm microfilm (they only use the 16mm films for magazines.)

 

[tvnut]

Apparently, the Lakewood (WA) public library has one of the slicker microfilm systems out there.

I've used it when I'm visiting family to copy stuff from old issues of the Tacoma News Tribune -- and it actually lets me save images from the microfilm as PDFs on a USB memory stick. It's both convenient and free.

Surely there are other libraries that have this sort of set up?

The record-to-flash drive system can be good and bad. Good in that it's convenient for transferring to PDF at low (often no!) cost. Bad in that the electronic copy of the page is generally at a much lower resolution than a printed copy would be on a modern printer (Minolta seems to rule the market, though there are others). I was working on a book and needed to reprint a story from the Palm Beach Post. The library in West Palm Beach had only the new system. The resulting copy was worse than the copy I pulled off Google's newspaper archive site. A printed copy off the film itself would have been much better.

In lieu of a paper copy of the paper (impractical to save, obviously), I'll take a paper copy direct from film every time, even if it costs 25 cents (the highest per-page cost I've seen, in St. Louis and New Orleans; Chicago is free!).