About Our Microfilm Collection
Access Information and Sales Service
Oshkosh Daily Northwestern Newspaper, 1945
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Historic newspaper from the end of World War II, one of over 12,000 newspapers in our collection.
Nearly 2 million items in the Wisconsin Historical Society Library exist on some sort of microform and these represent virtually all the subject areas in which the Library collects. The Library has particularly strong genealogy, labor union, North American exploration, African American and Native American holdings.
The Library's collection of newspapers is the second largest in the United States, surpassed only by that of the Library of Congress. Many of the newspapers in the collection are on microfilm.
In addition to newspapers, you will also find the following in large numbers on microfilm:
- Archival series
- Manuscript collections
- PhD dissertations
- Pre-1820 American books
- Pre-1850 American magazines
- Also on microform is a portion of the library's collection of family history records, including published and microfilmed family histories, church and cemetery records, birth, death and marriage registrations, federal and state census, local histories, and military information covering the United States and Canada.
How the Microfilm Collection is Organized
Microfilm holdings can be found by searching the Library Catalog using the blue button below. Wisconsin residents may check out most microforms in person, additionally, most microforms are available to non-Wisconsin residents through interlibrary loan (depending on copyright compliance and/or physical condition) from participating institutions.
Note: Some heavily used materials (including genealogical resources) do not circulate.
Purchasing Copies
The Microfilm Reproductions Lab has placed a moratorium on new non state records orders while we continue to work through existing orders. Questions regarding our production schedule and the status of orders can be directed to askwhsdc@wisconsinhistory.org.
Digital or Paper Copies of Portions of Microfilm
Researchers who cannot visit the Library-Archives may order copies of state records on microfilm by mail, fax or e-mail. We do not accept orders by phone. See the List of Fees. In your request, please be sure to include a specific reference to title, author and page numbers.
Place an order by email:
Please note: Requests that do not include a specific reference to title, author and page numbers will be treated as requests for research assistance. The Library and Archives can only provide limited research service and we reserve the right to turn down research requests on a case-by-case basis.
Learn More
Have Questions?
To discover if the library owns a particular title, search the Library Catalog. For more information, contact the Microforms staff at askwhsdc@wisconsinhistory.org.