How to View Microfiche ©2004, Steven Vance & Sarah Bombich Revised August 19, 2004 Olin Library Arc: Technology Center Page 1 of 2 Washington University

How to View Microfiche Definition: Microfiche are transparent sheets of plastic (approximately 4”x3”) most commonly used to store government documents and ERIC documents.

1. Familiarize yourself with the parts of the microform reader and scanner machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Overview of microform reader/scanner and computer. A: Fiche tray, B: Rotation knob, C: Lens setting, D: Interchangeable lens.

2. Make sure the scanner is turned on. The power button is located on the right side of the scanner (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Power button.

How to View Microfiche ©2004, Steven Vance & Sarah Bombich Revised August 19, 2004 Olin Library Arc: Technology Center Page 2 of 2 Washington University

3. Set up the scanner for microfiche reading by pulling out the fiche tray (Figure 3). The fiche tray is located on the right side of the carrier (Figure 1:A). When the carrier is pulled out fully, the top piece of glass should pop up.

4. Place the fiche face down between the pieces of glass in the fiche tray. Push the tray in gently. Move the fiche tray to the left until the piece of microfiche is directly under the lens (Figure 1:D).

5. If your image is crooked, use the Rotation knob (Figure 1:B) to adjust the orientation. If your image is blurry or slightly too big or small, adjust the focus (Figure 4:B) and zoom (Figure 4:A) on the lens.

6. If the image is dramatically too small or too large on screen

after adjusting the zoom on your lens, you may need to use a different lens. There are three different lenses available for the

microform reader (Type 1, 2 & 3) which provide varying levels of magnification. To remove a lens, grasp the front of the lens and pull straight out (Figure 1:D). To insert a

lens, push up the lens release located above where you removed the lens, place the lens flat on the glass below and slide in, making sure that the sides are in the track.

7. Once you have inserted a new lens, be sure to properly adjust the lens setting (Figure 1:C). Determine the color used beneath the lens type (Figure 5) and slide the lever to match the color coding of the lens being used. If the settings do not match there might be some vignetting in the image.

Figure 5. Determining lens type.

8. Once you have the desired image on screen, you may scan it and then save or print it. For instructions on scanning microforms, please see the guide How to Save and Print Microforms.

Figure 3. Fiche tray pulled out.

Figure 4. Zoom and rotation knobs on the lens.