Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

The SRSU Library and Archives recently completed a macro microfilming project. With funding provided by the Title V Digital Transformation & Modernization Grant, we were able to convert over 9,000 pages of loose newsprint into archival-quality microfilm. The project included newspapers printed from 2019-2024 by the Alpine Avalanche, Big Bend Gazette, Big Bend Sentinel, The/El International, Jeff Davis County Mountain Dispatch, Terrell County Sun, and the Van Horn Advocate. Patrons can now view these titles (and many more!) on our microfilm reader and easily create PDFs or images for printing, emailing, or saving.

Wait a minute, you still use microfilm? We sure do! Archival-quality microfilm takes up less space than physical newspapers, is more physically stable than paper, and has a lifespan of up to 500 years, if properly maintained. Microfilm remains the gold standard for archival storage of many loose-leaf materials, even within the digitization era. Though microfilm reels seem to have been perfected in the 19th century, luckily the technology for viewing microfilm has continued to evolve past the days of the bulky, beige, manual microfilm readers kept in a dark corner.

Come check it out for yourself! You can find the microfilm reader/scanner on the first floor of the Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library in Alpine and request reels of microfilm at the circulation desk 🎞♥️. For remote or virtual assistance accessing microfilm, contact the BWML Front Desk, 432-837-8123 or email a librarian, srsulibrary@sulross.edu.