Purchasing microfilm

I received this note from one of our students.  I don't know of a
resource like the one Meg's asking about, but she's right, it seems
like there must be something out there, assuming the bibliographic
records do not include the information.  With embarrassment and
apologies if I'm missing something obvious and basic, but does anyone
have suggestions?  Thanks.

    From: Margaret Brown <mbrown [at] fiat__gslis__utexas__edu>

    I am working in Perry Castenada Library for bibliographic review
    of brittle books.  I have recently realized that over 50% of the
    books I review do exist in microfilm at other institutions. In
    order to evaluate whether or not we want to buy a replacement
    microfilm, we have to know price and availability. It seems to
    me that there ought to be an easier way to find these things out
    than cold calling each individual institution. I have been doing
    this and find it very frustrating, as it seems every institution
    has a different procedure or department from which I have to get
    estimates.

    Have you ever run into a person, posting or list somewhere that
    looks into the issue of purchasing microfilm from other
    institutions? I am imagining that there must at least be a list
    that a person has made in-house because I am quite confident I
    am re-inventing the wheel.

    If you know of anything/anybody, let me know. (I've already
    talked to David Walls and Ellen Cunningham-Kruppa).

Karen Motylewski
Director, Preservation and Conservation Studies
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
SZB 564/D7000, University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712-1276
512-471-8291
Fax: 512-471-8285

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:48
                 Distributed: Monday, November 18, 1996
                       Message Id: cdl-10-48-018
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