Periodicals/Documents and Microforms

Microform Research Collections

The Periodicals/Documents and Microforms unit, located on the first floor of the John C. Hodges Library, houses and services an extensive and growing collection of research materials in microformat. These collections provide access to important primary source documents for the researcher. Formats include microfilm, microfiche, microcards and micro opaque. The collection is cataloged and arranged on shelves (microfilm, microcards) or cabinets (microfiche) according to the Library of Congress classification system.

Research microform materials are selected by Subject Librarians and faculty. Many are purchased through endowed funds such as the Lindsay Young Endowment Fund. Microform materials cover many subjects and material types including government documents, manuscripts, dissertations, technical reports, and newspapers. More than one source may have to be consulted in order to locate the information needed.

Finding Aids

While microform collections owned by the library are searchable using the library's online catalog, not all sets have been fully analyzed. In most cases, searching the catalog by title, author, or subject will retrieve the collection, but not individual items that are part of the collection. Consulting specialized indexes, guides and finding aids located in the Periodicals/Documents and Microforms room will help to retrieve these items. Some publishers have provided online guides to their microform collections. These allow subject/keyword searching of multiple collections.

• German Language and Literature Microform Resources
• LexisNexis Primary Sources in US History
• NARA Microfilm Publications Catalog
• Primary Source Microfilm's Online Guides
• Scholarly Resources Online Guides

The contents of some microform sets have been added to the online catalog:

• American Architectural Books (mfilm NA25.R4)
• American Culture Series (mfilm E187.U5)
• American Periodicals Series, 1800-1825 (mfilm AP2.U5,U51,U52)
• American Literary Annuals and Gift Books, 1825-1965 (mfilm AY10.T52)
• Charles Dickens Research Collection (mfilm PR4581.C52)
• Confederate Imprints, 1861-1865 (mfilm E487.C65)
• Dime Novels (mfilm PS374.D5D5)
• Early American Imprints, First Series (mfiche PS530.E37)
• Fowler Collection of Early Architectural Books (mfilm NA25.F6)
• German Baroque Literature (mfilm PT1121.Y3)
• Health, Physical Education and Recreation Dissertations (mfiche GV361.O7)
• History of Nursing (mfiche RT31.H575)
• Papers of the NAACP (mfilm E185.5.N276A1)
• Spanish Drama of the Golden Age (mfilm PQ6218.S7)
• Western Americana: Frontier History of the Trans-Mississippi West, 1550-1900 (mfilm F591.W46)
• Wright American Fiction (mfilm PS504.W73)

Subject specific databases may be available depending on the topic. These may be accessed from the library's databases page. Databases with accompanying microform materials include:

• American Periodicals Series Online, 1740-190
• Black Literature, 1827-1940
• British Parliamentary Papers
• LexisNexis Congressional
• LexisNexis Environmental
• LexisNexis Statistical
• Declassified Documents Reference System
• Early English Books Online (EEBO), 1475-1700 (STC I,II, and the Thomason Tracts)
• English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC), 1473-1800 (Early English Books I and II, The Eighteenth Century and the Thomason Tracts).
• ERIC
• Foreign Broadcast Information Service 1991-

If you are not sure where to start, or have questions about how to proceed, consult with the Periodicals/Documents and Microforms staff or at the Reference desk.

Historical Newspapers

The collection includes many historical newspapers. Early American Newspapers (may be accessed via the online catalog by individual title).

An index of newspapers, which are located in the microforms collection, arranged by state and then city. Tennessee newspapers are sorted by county and then city:

A-M || N-Z || Tennessee || Countries

A selected list of newspapers arranged by state and then city:

A-H || I-L || M || N || O-P || R-S || Tennessee || T-Z || Countries

Notable Microform Sets

• City Directories of the United States (microfilm/fiche E154.5.U5)
• Compiled Service Records - Union (microfilm E494.I5)
• Compiled Service Records - Confederate (microfilm E548.I5)
• Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the Congressional Research Service (microfilm/fiche JK1108.M25)
• Papers of the NAACP (microfilm E185.5.N276A1)
• Civil War Unit Histories (microfiche E484.C5)
• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (microfilm G3961.G475)
• Slave Narratives, Federal Writers' Project (microfilm E444.F27)
• Current Urban Documents (TN cities) (microfiche HT167.5.T42U7)
• Wright American Fiction: American fiction to 1900 (microfilm PS504.W73)

Equipment

The Hodges Library provides micrographics equipment for viewing, scanning and printing:

• Microfiche viewers
• Microfilm viewers
• Canon MS400 fiche/film reader/printers
• Canon MS800 fiche/film reader/scanners
• Canon MS400 fiche/film reader/scanners
• Indus Micro Opaque (microcard) viewer with Screen Scan for printing

Periodicals/Documents and Microforms staff and student workers are available to instruct patrons in use of all equipment as well as to service machines as required.