If you read our post on How to Find a Canadian Newspaper on Microfilm, you already know what newspapers we have! Now you might ask: “How can I access them?”
Easy! Borrow any newspaper on microfilm from our collection through interlibrary loan (ILL)*.
For example, to access all the issues of the Montréal Journal for June 1904, just follow these steps.
- Go to our Microform Holdings section that lists localities by province. Then, select Montréal to find the Montréal Journal.
- Record the information provided for that daily newspaper. In this case: Journal.NJ.FM.1147 16 dé 1899- 7 mr 1905 AN 7046754.
- Go to your local library and consult a librarian to order the newspaper for a specific date. He or she will need the information you recorded earlier to retrieve your newspaper.
- Title: Journal
- Place of publication: Montréal (to avoid getting the Journal for a different city)
- AMICUS Number: AN 7046754
- Dates you need: June 1904
The following information is not needed:
- Microfilm reel number (only required for archival material on microfilm, not newspapers)
- Shelf number (e.g., NJ.FM.1147)
- Entire date span (e.g., 16 dé 1899- 7 mr 1905)
Did you know?
- The loan period is four weeks (eight weeks for Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and outside Canada), including travel time.
- Each person can borrow 12 reels at a time per title.
- If your date range is covered on more than 12 reels, you must order those for the remaining dates once the first set of reels has been returned and checked-in.
- There are no renewals.
- If you are searching a wide range of dates, start by requesting six reels, then ordering another six a couple of weeks later. This will give you enough time to access the reels you have on hand while others are on the way.
Happy reading!
(*) Update: End of Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Services
ILL services at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) will end in December 2012. Users of LAC‘s current services should note the following dates:
- November 13, 2012: End of loan requests from international libraries.
- November 16, 2012: End of renewals. All items loaned after this date will be non-renewable.
- December 11, 2012: End of loan requests, location searches, and ILL-related photocopying services.
LAC‘s ILL listserv (CANRES-L) and Canadian Library Gateway will also be archived in December 2012.
LAC will continue to facilitate interlibrary loan activities among other institutions through the ILL form in AMICUS, and through ongoing administration of Canadian Library Symbols.
Through our modernized service channels, LAC will emphasize increased digital access to high-demand content. LAC is working with Canada’s ILL user community in order to inform this approach to accessing the institution’s unique holdings.
For more information, please visit “Interlibrary Loan at Library and Archives Canada“.
Questions or comments? We would love to hear from you!
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I was told by my library that you no longer loan newspaper microfilm. Is this true? Is there a way for me to access newspaper microfilm now?
Yes, that is correct. Interlibrary loan services at Library and Archives Canada ended in December 2012. However, if you’d like to contact LAC’s reference services with more specifics about your request such as the newspaper title, city/province of the newspaper, date, article title or topic (e.g. obituary) and page number if known, the research support staff may be able to suggest alternatives or provide other options.