University of South Florida Scholar Commons School of Information Faculty Publications School of Information 2005 Microforms: Marriages, Mergers, and Migrations Authors: Anna H. Perrault “Migration” is a term used to describe the reformatting of materials or the moving of information from one format to a different format. The onc version of printed and original documents to microformats was a migration from paper, which was regarded as impermanent, to film, which was regarded as permanent. Today the term “migration” is most often used to denote the conversion of print or microform texts to electronic format to another. This paper begins with a brief history of the development of microforms as a storage and preservation medium with emphasis on the last two decades of the twentieth century in the United States. Recent issues in access and preservation are examined. Finally, the future of microforms is considered in light of migration to electronic formats for preservation. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/si_facpub Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Scholar Commons Citation Perrault, Anna H., "Microforms: Marriages, Mergers, and Migrations" (2005). School of Information Faculty Publications. 27. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/si_facpub/27 This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Information at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Information Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Microforms: Marriages, Mergers, and Migrations by Anna H. Perrault History The production of microforms can be traced to an invention by John Dancer of Manchester, England, who in 1839 had the idea of “marrying” two devices with lenses to fashion a camera which would produce the magnification of a microscope.