Library Guides: African American Studies: Microfilm/Microfiche Collections

Microfilm and Microfiche Collections

Some of the key collections for African American Studies which are owned by the Penn State Libraries are available only on microfilm.

Highlights of some of the special collections relating to African Americans:

The Papers of the NAACP
This microfilm collection includes a variety of materials from the NAACP [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]. There are many parts to these papers which range from meeting minutes, speeches, and personal correspondence to a variety of papers and documents on special subjects.
FBI Files
The News and Microforms Library has collections of FBI files on a variety of topics and organizations. The collections also include files on several individuals including Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Paul Robeson, as well as the files on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..

Personal Papers : Various Individuals
The News and Microforms Library also has the personal papers of several famous African Americans including George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass, and Mary Church Terrell.

Documents from the United States Commission on Civil Rights
Many of the documents from this Commission are available on 2nd Floor Paterno Library Stacks in the United States government documents section under the U.S. documents call numbers CR 1 to CR 17. Among the documents found in this collection are reports from the early years of the commission, special studies on different topics, and newsletters and journals.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Documents are available online via the Thurgood Marshall Law Library at the University of Maryland School of Law.