Fiches

Fiches is a term used in several contexts to refer to small cards, sheets, or documents that store concise information. In French, fiche can mean a card, a form, an assignment sheet, or a fact sheet, and the word is used across administrative and educational settings. In English-language library and information work, fiches historically referred to index cards or bibliographic cards used to organize references and notes, and to microfiche, a related microform that stores many documents on a small sheet of film.

In education, fiches commonly describe flashcards or study cards used to summarize questions, definitions, or key concepts, facilitating quick review and memorization. In research and writing, fiche cards or note cards help researchers collect and structure information from diverse sources; each card typically records a citation, a quotation or summary, and page numbers, and cards are grouped by topic or argument for later drafting.

In libraries and archives, the term historically described physical cards within a card catalog, used to locate titles, authors, or subjects. Many libraries migrated to digital catalogs, but some institutions retain fiche-based or microfiche collections for archival materials, providing compact storage of large document sets without relying on paper shelves.

In business and administration, fiche formats include fact sheets and product fiches that present essential specifications, features, or instructions in a concise, printable form. With the rise of digital databases and note-taking apps, physical fiches have declined in prominence but remain known for their portability, simplicity, and reliability as offline reference tools.