The American Periodicals Series is a collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century periodicals that provides researchers with valuable source materials for the study of American ideas and social patterns. This collection encompasses three smaller microfilm collections: American Periodicals, 18th Century; American Periodicals, 1800-1850; and American Periodicals, 1850-1900, Civil War and Reconstruction. The microform sets are known as APS I, APS II, and APS III. APS I contains 88 periodicals on 33 reels of film. Periodicals such as Columbian Magazine, American Museum, Massachusetts Magazine and New-York Magazine are included in APS I. Bell Library owns 492 of the 1,966 reels that were published in APS II. Items from this golden age of periodicals include The Juvenile Port-Folio and the New York Mirror. Bell Library owns all 117 periodicals in APS III on 771 reels. Titles in APS III include Putnam's Monthly Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Ladies' Home Journal.

Access to the American Periodicals Series collection is provided through the library's online catalog, Portal, and through a printed American Periodicals 1741-1900: An Index to the Microfilm Collections. The index is shelved in the microform area.

The first step in using the American Periodicals Series collection is to find the APS reel number assigned to the material. Portal can be used for title searches. The resulting Portal records will contain the information about which APS collection it is and the reel numbers. The printed American Periodicals 1741-1900: An Index to the Microfilm Collections is the best way to fully utilize the American Periodicals Series microfilm collection. It includes a title index, a subject index, an editor index and a reel number index. Within these indexes, a person may find the reel number for the required material. A description of how to use the index is in the prefatory pages.

The American Periodicals Series reels are located in several file cabinets in the microform area. Please feel free to ask for assistance in locating items and setting up the microform readers. Operating instructions are posted next to the microform readers for the convenience of patrons.

Microform copies are 10 cents per page copied. Make sure to deposit your money in the coinbox attached to the microform reader. From that point on pressing the print button on the microform reader will make copies of the viewed materials. The printer located underneath the microform reader must be turned on. An attendant in the Periodicals Department will be able to assist if necessary.

Please place the microfilm in the small return box on the table next to the microform readers.

We invite questions and/or comments and look forward to hearing from you. Contact Sarah Sutton at Sarah.Sutton@tamucc.edu.

• Periodicals Department Staff
• Periodicals Department Hours
• Periodicals Department Policies

Webpage revised on 09/24/2009