Preservation value
Microfiche does not depend on a file format, software license, or database vendor. With proper storage, it remains a stable preservation medium for decades.
Is microfiche still used today
Yes. Microfiche is still used today, just in narrower and more specialized settings.
Microfiche is no longer the default storage format for new business records, but it still matters anywhere institutions need compact long-term storage, legacy access, or preservation copies of material that was never fully digitized. The most common places are research libraries, archives, genealogy rooms, local government offices, and newspaper collections.
Where microfiche is still actively used
- Libraries that preserve newspapers, journals, and government documents.
- Archives that keep preservation copies of fragile originals.
- Genealogy collections with census indexes, directories, and local records.
- Courts, land offices, and agencies with older legacy files.
- Organizations digitizing historical collections in phases.
Why institutions still keep it
Space savings
A drawer of fiche can replace a large shelf of paper, which still matters for long newspaper runs and administrative series.
Legacy collections
Many institutions converted paper to fiche before modern scanning became practical, so the fiche itself is now the reference copy.
What "still used" usually means in practice
In most organizations, microfiche survives as an access and preservation layer, not as the first choice for new records. Staff may use it only when a researcher asks for a specific date range, when the digital copy is incomplete, or when the fiche remains the highest-quality preserved version.
A good rule of thumb: if the collection is historical, local, legal, or not fully digitized, microfiche often still has a job.