Microfiche viewers take up about the same space as a desktop computer.
Microfiche images are made up of text and pictorial documents that were copied at a 24 times reduction onto 16 millimeter film. Film negatives are then cut into six strips and combined to provide an entire sheet of images. Within the process of microfiche filming lie pros and cons of the technology, including document storage and cost of production.
Benefit of Storage
Microfiche filming provides efficient storage for large quantities of documents in one small, accessible space. Examples of microfiche documents include book volumes, many decades of newspaper articles, journal volumes, magazine publications, old public records and legal archives. Libraries, record storage companies and other data repositories benefit the most from microfiche storage as they may not have the physical capacity to store significant amounts of dated information. Further, ordering a microfiche film grants access to data that is not already on site.
Benefit of Preservation
Just as microfiche filming can be used to store enormous amounts of information without utilizing physical space, this process also preserves document information. If a library in the 21st century even had the space to hold newspapers from 50 years before, consumers would not be able to read them very well. Paper becomes discolored and disintegrates over time. Microfiche captures an image of a publication that lasts long after the original print is no longer legible. According to University of Albany associate professor, Bruce Kingma, microfiche films are estimated to last for 100 years.
Disadvantage of Limited Access
To view microfiche films, interested persons must travel to a library or other record storage facility to use the microfiche viewer. Viewers have illuminated magnification lenses that are necessary to view microfiche films because they are too small to be seen by the naked eye. If other patrons have reserved time to use the viewer, then there may also be a wait time. Compared to modern digital access media, microfiche films limit the transferability of data as well. Information on computers may be saved to compact discs or universal serial bus drives to be viewed on other machines. Microfiche film information can only be taken away by printing the data onto hard copy.
Cost Disadvantage
The limited access of microfiche filmed data equates to higher costs to access the information as well. Digitized texts posted on-line reach millions of viewers around the world. Bruce Kingma compared the cost estimates of microfiche filming and digitized data in a 2000 study. The estimated annual cost of microfiche storage and access including construction, maintenance, employee salaries and equipment was $1,065,878 with cost per library totalling $1,400 to $2,200 per year for 30 to 42 copies. In addition microfiche masters have to be reproduced eventually incurring more cost. In contrast, digitized information only has an initial production cost. The estimated cost of digital production and storage was $780,938.
