Microfilm/Microfiche Collections

The Penn State University Libraries own many special collections in several formats (e.g., microfilm, paper, photographs, and video). For a description of the areas in the Libraries on the University Park campus which comprise Special Collections see University Libraries' Special Collections Library.

Some of the key collections for African American Studies which are owned by the Penn State Libraries are available only on microfilm. Microfilm collections are cataloged and can be searched using the CAT.

Another excellent way to locate microfilm collections is by searching MicroFinder. You can search MicroFinder alphabetically, chronologically, or by subject.

Highlights of some of the special collections relating to African Americans are listed below.

• The Papers of the NAACP
  This microfilm collection includes a variety of materials from the National Associaton for the Advancement of Colored People. There are many parts to these papers which range from meeting minutes, speeches, and personal correspondence to a variety of papers and documents on special subjects. The collection is cataloged. Search the CAT by Papers of the NAACP.
• FBI Files
  The News & Microforms Library has collections of FBI files on a variety of topics and organizations. The collections also include files on several individuals including Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Paul Robeson, as well as the files on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Some of these files have individual guides. The best way to find out what the Libraries own is to search MicroFinder.
• Personal Papers : Various Individuals
  The News & Microforms Library also has the personal papers of several famous African Americans including George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass, and Mary Church Terrell.
• Documents from the United States Commission on Civil Rights
  Many of the documents from this Commission are available on 2nd Floor Paterno Library Stacks in the United States government documents section under the call numbers CR 1 to CR 17. Among the documents found in this collection are reports from the early years of the commission, special studies on different topics, and newsletters and journals.
  This collection is also available online via the Thurgood Marshall Law Library at the University of Maryland School of Law. A link to online access via the Government Printing Office is available via the CAT.