How to Use a Microfilm Machine

The original purpose of microfilm was to create messages small enough to be delivered by carrier pigeon without detection. The Frenchman Rene Dragon was the first patent-holder for a microfilm machine in 1859. Over the next century and a half, microfilm was used to condense and store bank records, create newspaper libraries, send mail to military members overseas and carry information for espionage. Today, computers have become a more practical data storage tool, but microfilm is still widely used for periodical storage and reference. Microfilm machines are basically large viewers that illuminate and enlarge microfilm content. Learning to use a microfilm machine is a straightforward process.

Instructions

    • 1

      Locate the resource material you wish to view in the microfilm machine using your research institution's card catalog or computer database.

    • 2

      Open the microfilm compartment by pulling the tray towards you. Position your microfilm with the spool upright and the loose end of the film set on top of the reel and facing to the right.

    • 3

      Insert the microfilm reel on the appropriate roller with the loose end of the film facing the second roller. Extend the film under the film rollers and the glass projector. Continue to pull the film through the rollers until there is sufficient slack to attach it to the destination spool.

    • 4

      Slip the film into the slot on the destination spool. Press the film load button to transfer some of the film to the destination spool. With the film secured at both ends you are now able to wind back and forth in search of your resource material.

    • 5

      Return the microfilm compartment to its closed position. Press the "On/Off" button on the side of the microfilm machine. The microfilm is now visible on the screen. Use the large knobs on the side of the microfilm machine to advance and retract the film and locate your source.

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