Library & Specialized Libraries
Microforms
Microform is a felicitous medium for the preservation of rare manuscripts, printed materials and documents against potential loss or damage resulting from excessive circulation and age, not to mention increasing their accessibility and circulation without direct contact with the originals.
The BA obtained microfilms of rare manuscripts and documents (c. 30 thousand Mss, and 50 thousand documents), significant among which are the microfilms of the manuscript collections in the Escorial Library as well as the manuscript collections of Tübingen University (Germany).
The British Library presented the BA with an exhaustive collection of copies of the Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscripts in the British Library numbering 14,000. It is considered the biggest collection in Europe, and the largest manuscript donation to the BA to date.
The Microform Section also comprises comprehensive and exclusive collections of national and Arabic newspapers, serving as a historical register of important events, as well as rare documents. All microform collections are now available for consultation in the Microform Reading Room.
For more information about microform collections, please visit: http://www.manuscriptcenter.org/Museum/collections/Microfilm_Collection.asp