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The University Libraries


About Government Information and Microforms

As a medium for storing information, microforms aren't as familiar to most people as books are. They're a little less comfortable to use for that reason, but they don't have to be. Libraries buy microform products in order to save space and money, and to offer resources that would otherwise be inaccessable. Newspapers disintegrate after time, and rare books aren't available through interlibrary loan. For all of these reasons, microforms may be necessary to your research. It won't take long to familiarize yourself with their use, and we are always available to help. All microfilm and microfiche reader/printers are located in the Reference Department, on the main floor of the library, as are also the two microcard and microprint (opaque) readers. Two microfiche readers are located on 3rd floor Main, near the government microfiche collection.

Jackson Library houses four types of microforms:

Our collection is located in two places, the main Microforms Room, Room 216, on the second floor of the main (older) building, and the 3rd Floor, Main building, near the elevator. The collection is open to the public and may be used without the aid of a staff member. If HELP is needed, go to the Reference Department public service desk, in the main floor lobby, and someone will be happy to assist you.

*IMPORTANT! We ask that you DO NOT RESHELVE any type of microform you might use. Instead, please return them to the yellow baskets you will find near the reader/printers in the reader/printers in the Reference Department, or in the Film Room, room 216, or to the boxes near the fiche readers on 3rd Main.

Microfilm

Each title is assigned a number, and this number will be provided when the film title is looked up in Jackson Library's Catalog . All microfilms are housed in the Microforms Room/Room 216 on the second floor of the main (older) building. To locate the Microforms Room, follow the hallway between Special Collections and Acquisitions and the room will be on the left side. Microfilm is shelved in the film cabinets in numerical order. Microfilms include the following resources, among others:

Microfiche

The microfiche are kept in separate locations, depending on the subject matter.

CLASSED FICHE
Items that are within the Library of Congress classification system (like the books in the stacks) are given a Library of Congress call number, and shelved in filing cabinets on the 3rd floor, main building, just around the corner from the elevator. They include:

ERIC FICHE
The more recent ERIC documents (beginning with ED 160 307) are shelved in filing cabinets in the Microforms Room. All ERIC fiche before ED 160 307 has been moved to remote storage and must be requested at the main circulation desk. Please see staff in Government Documents if you have questions. ERIC documents can be also be located (some are available full-text) in the ERIC electronic databases. Each document is given a six-digit number. If you find a card in the ERIC microfiche suggesting that you consult the RIE, use one of the ERIC electronic databases to locate the article. If are trying to locate an ERIC document but have an EJ number, this publication was published as an article in a journal. You would need to check the journal citation to locate the article.

COLLEGE CATALOG FICHE
College Catalogs from colleges and universities in the United States from 1975 to the 1998-99 school year are available in the Microforms Room in the cabinets following the ERIC microfiche. The library NO LONGER receives College Catalogs in microfiche but instead relies upon online access, Colleges and Universities web site. Some catalogs of schools in North Carolina only are available in paper format in the Reference Department.

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
The United States and North Carolina governments produce many thousands of documents each year on microfiche. As a federal and state depository, Jackson Library retains these government documents microfiche with the rest of the government documents collection, on 3rd floor, Main. Some of these documents will be listed in the library's catalog. The US GPO database will list every federal document issued since 1976. Remember that Jackson Library is a selective depository of US publications, which means that we will have about 70% of the total, since 1963, when the library became a depository. Reference staff members will be happy to assist you with locating government document publications, so ALWAYS come to the Reference Department first.

A little microfiche ettiquette: when removing a microfiche, please put a "microfiche out card" in its place -- this makes it easier for our great student assistants to reshelve it when you've finished using it.

Microcard

There is only one cabinet of microcards, all LC classified, located near the microfiche cabinets on 3rd floor, Main. Because of their opaque format, microcards and microprint require different kinds of reading machines than microfiche or film. The two reading machines for microprints and microcards are located on the tables in the Reference Department. Unfortunately, this format can NOT be copied. They include the following resources:

Microprint

The LC classed (LC call numbers are on the microprint boxes) microprint collection is housed in the Microforms Room, room 216, on top of the film cabinets. Most of the U.S. microprint collection, primarily US Congressional Serial Set, is not LC classed and is shelved on third floor, Main, where the rest of the U.S documents collection is shelved. Like microcard, microprint can be read on readers in the Reference Department, but can NOT be copied. Microprint collections comprise the following:

Remember - If you have any trouble locating or using the microforms collection, do not hesitate to ask for assistance in the Reference Department. We will be happy to assist you.
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