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Microform Reading Room (Humanities and Social Sciences Division)
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The Collections

The Microform Reading Room has custody of and services the Library's general microform collection which is the largest (some 6 million pieces) and most diverse of the Library's various microform collections. The materials in microform vary widely not only in the nature of the original materials microfilmed--books, pamphlets, periodicals, manuscripts, dissertations, dramatic works, government documents, etc.-- but also in date, place of publication, language, and subject matter. While a number of these items duplicate items in the Library's print collections, most are available only in microform.

The general microform collection includes individual titles as well as distinct collections which may cover one or many subjects. Some of the subjects and types of materials represented in the collection are:

African-American history
Art history
Biblical and patristic manuscript books
Dime novels
Diplomatic history
Early printed books and periodicals
Economic history
Genealogy
Government documents and reports
Documents from international organizations
Inventories of European archives and libraries
Labor history
Military history
Oral histories
Photographic history
Religious history
Theater history and drama collections
Press summaries and transcripts
Social and economic development plans
Women's history

Some of the most frequently used microfilm collections are:

American Fiction, 1774-1905
Black Literature, 1827-1940
British Manuscript Project
City Directories of the United States
Civil War Unit Histories
Dime Novels (two collections)
Doctoral Dissertations Series
Early American Imprints
Early American Periodicals
Early English Books (two collections)
Gerritsen Collection of Women's History
History of Photography
Latin American Imprints Before 1800
Reproductions of Manuscripts and Rare Printed Books
Records of the States of the United States of America
Russian History and Culture
Slave Narratives
Western Americana, 1550-1900
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  Home >> The Collections
  The Library of Congress >> Researchers
  August 9, 2011
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