Periodicals in the Library Catalog

The periodical holdings represent every aspect of filmmaking and date from the first decade of the 20th century to the present.  Primarily consisting of U.S. publications, the library holdings include general, popular, fan, critical and technical film periodicals as well as industry trade journals and rare issues of studio-published house organs.

Catalog records
The online catalog includes all titles in the periodical collection. Each record contains bibliographical and holdings information including the title; former, later, and alternate titles; publisher; place of publication; dates of publication; holdings statement; recent issues received; and item status. Additionally, notes may contain information on publication history and indexing sources.

Holdings
Holdings of the titles in the collection vary widely. Where the library has only a few issues of a title, they are listed individually.  A span of years is given for longer runs indicating the extent of the library's holdings. The special notation "Missing Issues" indicates that the library does not have complete holdings of that title. If the desired title is currently received, the holdings record notes "Recent Issues" indicating the latest issues held.

Item status
Specific volumes and issues that are currently unavailable are indicated under "Status".  The notation "At Bindery" indicates that the item is currently unavailable due to bindery conservation.  Items in conservation are generally available five weeks from the date of withdrawal.  The notation "In Process"  indicates that the item has been withdrawn for cataloging or other processing.

Microfilm
Microfilm and hard copy editions are cataloged separately so that each record reflects holdings for a single format. If volumes or issues are unavailable in the hard copy edition, check the microfilm edition holdings (where applicable). Some titles in the collection, such as Photoplay and The Moving Picture World, may be viewed only on microfilm.

Index sources
When available, the catalog records contain a note referring to periodical indexes where article citations may be found. The note includes references to published indexes, such as Film Literature Index (FLI) and the International Index to Film Periodicals (FIAF). In addition to published film indexes, the record may also contain a note citing indexing in the MHL Periodical Index database.  This note refers to our “in-house” electronic periodical index.  The MHL Periodical Index database contains citations from periodicals in our collection and titles that may have been overlooked in the published indexes. This index can be searched by accessing the MHL Periodical Index database from the public terminals in the library’s main reading room (off-site access is unavailable).  The indexes are not comprehensive and may not include citations for all the periodical titles in the library's collection.

PERIODICAL COLLECTION SEARCH TIPS

Basic Search:

Known Titles
Enter the title in the Search field, set the In field to Exact Beginning of Title, and set Quick Limit to Periodicals. Alternate titles are included in this search.

Title Keywords
If the exact periodical title is unknown, journal title keywords may be used to retrieve records. Enter the keyword(s) in the Search field and set the In field to Journal Title. Titles and alternate titles containing the selected keyword are retrieved using this search.

Keywords
When the periodical title is unknown or questionable, keywords may be used to retrieve records. Enter the keyword in the Search field, set the In field to Keyword, and set Quick Limit to Periodicals.  Relevancy may be greatly reduced in this search because each record is being searched in multiple fields.  However, keyword searching is a good option for browsing titles.

House Organs by Issuing Company
House organs are accessible by the name of the issuing company and by the title of the publication. To search for the issuing company, enter the company name in the Search field and set the In field to Author Browse. A set of records for titles issued by the company is retrieved using this search.  If a title search is preferred, enter the keyword in the Search field and set the In field to Journal Title. Titles and alternate titles containing the selected keyword are retrieved using this search.

Advanced Search:

Publisher Name
Choose Set Limits and set Item Type to Periodicals. At the Advanced Search page, enter the publisher name in the Search field and set the In field to Publisher Name. The retrieval set contains all periodical titles issued by the publisher entered.

ISSN
At the Advanced Search page, enter the ISSN in the Search field and set the In field to ISSN. The periodical title assigned to the ISSN is displayed. At this time, the majority of periodical records do not contain the ISSN for searching.

Search Limits:

Place of Publication
Choose Set Limits and set Item Type to Periodicals. Select from the Place of Publication menu. Enter search terms on the Advanced Search page. The retrieval set contains all periodical titles published in the geographic location specified.

Language
Choose Set Limits and set Item Type to Periodicals. Select from the Language menu. Enter search terms on either the Basic Search or Advanced Search page. The retrieval set contains all periodical titles in the language specified.