Microfilm
A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. The original document is typically in the form of photographic film or paper. Four formats are common: microfilm (reels), microfiche (flat sheets), micro-opaques (like microcards), and aperture cards. In addition to filming from original paper documents, equipment is available that accepts a data stream from a computer and directly produces a microform.
John Benjamin Dancer was one of the first to produce microphotographs in 1839, using the daguerreotype process. Microphotography was first suggested as a document preservation method in 1851 by the astronomer James Glaisher, and in 1853 by John Herschel, another astronomer. Systems that mount microfilm images in punched cards have been widely used for archival storage of engineering information.
The medium has numerous characteristics, including that it enables libraries to access collections without putting rare, fragile, or valuable items at risk of theft or damage.
Desktop readers are boxes with a translucent screen at the front on to which is projected an image from a microform. A microfilm printer contains a xerographic copying process, like a photocopier. To create microform media, a planetary camera is mounted with the vertical axis above a copy that is stationary during exposure. Conversions may be applied to camera output or to release copies.
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