HOUGHTON – Much of the material available at the Michigan Tech Archives consists of material in the form of primary and original paper documents. A few examples of these would be mining company records, immigration records and court documents. On the other hand, materials such as historic census records, newspapers and similar items are available as microfilm. Microfilm is similar to a photograph negative, except it is stored on a reel.

Of the more than 13,000 photographic items housed at the archives, some are photographs, others are negatives and others still are glass plate negatives.

Glass plate and other negative photographic images are the reverse of the photographic proof and can therefore be very difficult to see, and microfilm can be impossible to read without machines. The aids necessary to a researcher reviewing these types of materials are available at the Archives.

“There is a great range of technological tools that we have,” Lindsay Hiltunen, senior archivist at the archives, said, “from basic, easy tools like light tables to look at photograph negatives and glass plate negatives.”

For those researchers unfamiliar with such gadgets, the archives staff is available to help.

“We have light tables to illuminate historic images in that regard,” Hiltunen said, “and we can help people with that equipment.”

In addition to light tables, the archives also has the technology to allow patrons to view microfilm materials.

“We have digital and analog microfilm readers” Hiltunen said. “We have the old-school analog, which is just turn the crank and film moves.”

That technology is rather “old school,” however. The archives also has newer readers that are much more efficient.

“We also have digital micro-format readers, which allows patrons to look at microfilm,” Hiltunen said, “but they can also capture a PDF scan of the article that they like and just email it to themselves, or put it onto a jump drive and they have that to take with (them).”