Microfilm and microfiche collections in the Library

Why libraries hold material on microfilm

Microfilming is a tried and tested method of preservation for rare and fragile material which may not otherwise have survived. Candidates for microfilming include historical newspapers, archives, pamphlets and government documents. The LSE Library received funding in 1995 from HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) for selective microfilming of its archives, pamphlets and historical government statistics. These microfilms are now fetched on request. For details of which collections have been microfilmed see the following web pages –
Archives
Pamphlets
Statistics

Why libraries buy microfilm

The majority of our microfilm collection has been purchased by the Library. It includes old newspapers and archives which we can only buy in this format and in doing so we make available to researchers vast collections for which they might otherwise have had to travel worldwide to see the originals.

What is in the collection?

The Library holds collections on both microfilm and microfiche. They both include publications which are newspapers or journals, unpublished materials and archives and government documents. Collections (though not individual items) are on the Library’s OPAC with a microfilm or fiche number.

Newspapers and journals

The Library holds the “Times” from 1788 and the “Financial Times” from 1888 on microfilm. Indexes to these are kept in the Reference Collection. The only other major national newspapers held are” Le Monde” and” Die Zeit.”

The collection comprises a whole range of historical newspapers on microfilm. Just a few examples of these include: - “Commonweal”, “Journal of the Knights of Labor”,” Labour leader”,”Le populaire de Paris”, “Justice”, ” Humanite”, “Northern Star”, “Clarion” and “Vorwarts”. There are many other newspapers from the European and American labour movements.

There are also global collections of newspapers including the “Underground/Alternative Press”, “Anarchist Press in Britain”, and the” Left in Britain.” These have all been superseded by the “British contemporary press.” Sometimes they supplement any printed copies that the Library may hold.

Other collections include “Newspapers from the Russian revolutionary era” and the “Congressional research service”.

Archives on microfilm

The Library holds some party political archives on microfilm and microfiche. These include those of the Labour Party, including collections from local constituency parties, the Independent Labour Party, Conservative Party and Liberal Party.

Other archives include those of the Trades Union Congress – TUC Parliamentary Committee minutes and archives of the 1926 general strike, Fabian Society, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Other notable collections include ;- Francis Place papers, Anti-slavery collection, Liberal election addresses, Spanish Civil War collection, Sylvia Pankhurst papers, William Morris collection, Charles Booth collection, John Stewart Mill papers and the Beveridge papers. The Library also holds much of the Mass Observation Archive on microfilm and microfiche.
An acquisition in recent years has been the Archives of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party and the Comintern.

There are also global collections of pamphlets on microfilm such as “Radical pamphlets – an American collection.”

Some of the collections are also held in their original format here at LSE such as the archives of the Liberal Party and of the Fabian Society.

Please note that the Library does not always hold the whole collection of archives on microfilm. Check the catalogue record carefully for the details.

Printed guides to archive collections on microfilm and microfiche are kept in the Reference Collection on the first floor of the Library.

Government documents on microfilm and microfiche

US Federal Government documents

The largest collection of government documents on microfiche is the US Federal Government documents (SU-DOCs). These are not on the Library’s catalogue and their SU-DOC numbers must be traced either from the US GPO Catalogue online via the Electronic Library, or from the US government monthly catalogue in the Reference Collection.

British official publications, published by government departments

This collection of microfiche published by Chadwyck-Healey 1980-2001 is filed by year then running number. For example 84-1567. Covers much material not held in print format in the Library. Not on the Library’s catalogue

Other major government collections

US declassified documents
US National Security Archives – including documents on the Cuban missile crisis, El Salvador-the making of US foreign policy 1977-1984, Iraqgate – Saddam Hussein and the Persian Gulf War 1980-1994
Windscale inquiry
House of Commons journal
Journal official de la Republique Francaise
Papers of the Nixon White House
Reports of the European Parliament

Finding microfilm and microfiche

Journals and newspapers have individual records on the Library catalogue. See How to find journals

Archives, collections and papers will have one catalogue record for the whole collection but many have a printed guide to the collection which will have to be consulted to find individual items. Government collections such as the Chadwyck-Healey fiche and the US SU-DOCs are not on the Library catalogue.

Access

All of the microfilm and microfiche collections are closed access and fetched on request from the Service Counter.

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