A Brief History of Microfiche and Microfilm
The turn of the 20th century sparked the creation of many new forms of media as technology improved. Making technology smaller was advantageous to both commercializing and militarizing forms of media, which together resulted in the creation of microfilm and microfiche. As we explore a brief history of microfiche and microfilm, you will understand why these little sheets of transparent photos held such an important position in the world of documentation and photography.
Origins
Microfilm was created by John Benjamin Dancer during the mid-19th century; however, he considered it only a hobby. Little did he guess the importance it would have in the future. Microfilm was considered as a way to preserve documents by two astronomers—James Glaisher and John Herschel—though the public still had its doubts. Rene Dagron would patent microfilm in 1859.
Microfilm’s militaristic value revealed itself during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, when Dagron transported messages to Paris through messenger pigeons, avoiding the Prussian-controlled mail systems. He was able to hide valuable microfilm attached to the quills of the pigeons, which would then be transcribed. Dagron managed to transport approximately 115,000 messages and letters this way.
Turn of the Century and Commercialization
The use of microfilm continued to grow as engineers needed smaller alternatives to their massive codices. Because you could fit so much information on microfilm and then project it, the idea began to brew of microfilm being used in libraries for storing information. This process did not start in the Library of Congress until the late 1920s to mid-1930s. Banks also began to use microfilm in the 1920s to copy canceled checks using a Checkograph machine and would continue to use microphotography to store legal documents.
Using microfilm to condense large tomes and mountains of documents simplified document storage as they could easily all fit on one roll of film or one microfiche page. Microfilm was again used in a military setting during WWII with the creation of British “Airgraph” and the US version, “Victory Mail.” Letters from home would be sent to soldiers who were fighting the war overseas.
Technology’s Quick Advancement
Libraries would continue to use microfilm and microfiche to preserve media that were losing the test of time. Microfiche sheets were easier to store for libraries, cheaper, and wouldn’t attract thieves like real documents. Patrons could use reading rooms to access microfiche readers.
Computers could also use microfiche to print source code for consumers. However, the downsides piled up at the end of the 20th century, and the history of microfiche and microfilm began to close.
Digitization
With computers on the rise, people noticed the shortcomings of microfiche and film. You couldn’t have color, and it could still be destroyed. Storing images on the computer became easier as computers were more consumer accessible. The ability to digitize microfilm eliminates the need for physical microphotography. DiJiFi’s digitization services allow you to rest easy, knowing that your microfilm or microfiche documents will be preserved without damage.