Microfilm is a way of storing printed material by shrinking a photographic image of the document down to a very small size and putting it on a reel of plastic film. You then need a special machine to be able to view the material. The image is a complete copy, including pictures, of the original. Newspapers on microfilm, for example, will even include advertisements, stock listings, and classifieds.

The Library has several sources available on microfilm, some of which are also available in hard copy:

• The Boston Globe from 1985 to the present.
• The Wakefield Daily Item from 1894 to the present.
• The Wakefield edition of the Reading Chronicle from December 1996 to the present.
• The Wakefield Observer from 1998 to the present.
• Wakefield High School yearbooks.
• Selected other Wakefield historical documents.

We have two microfilm machines available for you to use. They, along with the microfilm reels themselves, are in the reference area on the main floor. Both machines have the ability to print copies of what you see on the screen. There is a charge 25 cents for each page printed. Ask at the Reference Desk and a librarian will be happy to teach you how to work the equipment.

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