Preservation in the Neighborhood

I recently attended an excellent webinar titled Preserving and Providing Access to Historical Newspapers in Illinois Library Collections. The presenters, staff of the Illinois Newspaper Project discussed preservation and digitization best practices, how to undergo a newspaper digitization project, and what to do with newspapers once they've been digitized. They also provided an overview of the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections, a statewide repository for digitized Illinois historical newspapers, and discussed opportunities for collaboration.

The preservation and digitization best practices portion of the webinar provided practical guidance about proper storage for newspapers based on format (print and microfilm) – from ideal temperatures to container types. The presenters also referenced the Illinois Preservation Self-Assessment Program as a great guide for initial inspection of your collection. This guide is helpful not only for thinking about newspapers, but for preservation and digitization practices involving all kinds of library materials – from audiovisual to paper to objects.

The discussion of how to undergo a newspaper digitization project was both comprehensive and accessible. The presenters talked about project scale, funding opportunities, title selection, source material location, production planning, and post-production infrastructure. They pointed out the importance of ensuring that the materials intended for digitization are in good enough shape to withstand being scanned and result in a readable and usable digital copy. Researching copyright status of the materials was also discussed, with reference to the U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System as a useful resource. Among the many other helpful insights, the presenters noted that local and/or institutional history is always a great way to connect with potential donors, so to look for those connections and opportunities when considering potential digitization projects and support for the same.

It was also valuable to be reminded that the planning process can require several weeks or more depending on the scale of the project. This includes considering the infrastructure and method for providing access once materials are digitized. Questions such as “Who will host the content?” and “Will users be able to perform keyword searches?” and “What level of downloading will be available – individual pages, full articles, and/or issues?” are all key questions that should be discussed and answered early on. Time well spent thinking through the entirety of a project at the beginning will inevitably save time on corrections and adjustments later!

This webinar was not only informative and practical, but also served as inspiration and a great reminder to me of the opportunities for preservation collaboration in my own neighborhood (in my case, the state of Illinois!). My thanks and appreciation to the INP team!

Honoring Hispanic and Latin American Culture and Contributions through Preservation

Sylvia Mendez. Photograph by Richard Rivera, October 12, 2011. Image courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States spans from September 15 to October 15 each year. The timeframe aligns with the dates on which many Central American countries celebrate their independence days. To be clear, Hispanic and Latin American, or Latino or Latina or Latinx, do not hold the same meaning. The term Hispanic speaks to language, whereas Latin American speaks to geography. However, as one might imagine, it is not so simple.

U.S. observance of Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968. For lovers of legislative history, the Library of Congress has got you covered with background on how this commemorative observance came about. Today, the Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow, cementing the importance of Hispanic and Latin American contributions to our country’s past, present, and future.

For a wealth of information on such contributions, visit this site, where numerous national cultural institutions are partnering to pay tribute. Included is the National Archives Document Display on Sylvia Mendez, whose family fought school segregation in Southern California preceding Brown v. Board of Education. The Mendez family’s story is an example of how preserved records become resources that courts, scholars, and the public rely on to understand context and the historical record that often frames later judicial reasoning.

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court granting an emergency application for stay in Noem v. Perdomo, addressing the practice of federal immigration officers relying on race and ethnicity, as well as other factors, to support decisions to detain people. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic person and the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, dissented. Judicial opinions are built on evidence and history, and archives safeguard much of that foundation. Legislative histories, agency records, demographic data, and prior court proceedings, preserved and made accessible by archivists, regularly appear in the reasoning that shapes opinions, concurrences, and dissents alike.

During this month of honor and celebration, I encourage each of us to ponder these questions. What does it mean to truly honor people and cultures? What constitutes true freedom and independence? Let us look inward and ask ourselves whether we are upholding the values we hold as our own. Preservation is not just commemorative. It is participatory in the rule of law. By maintaining accurate, inclusive, and accessible archives, we provide the sources that inform judicial understanding, illuminate lived experiences, and help ensure that courts can engage with the historical and cultural contexts that matter.

Preserving the Law of Freedom: Exploring Legal Collections About Juneteenth

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, declaring that all enslaved people were free. It was a delayed, but life-altering, announcement for more than 250,000 enslaved Black Americans in Texas. That moment became the foundation of Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.

As Juneteenth has grown from a community celebration to a recognized federal holiday, legal scholars, historians, and archivists have worked to preserve and share the legal documents that make up this story.

Below are some of the collections and archives that preserve Juneteenth’s legal and historical record. Each offers a unique window into how the law has shaped, recorded, and responded to Black freedom.

The Original Juneteenth Order

At the heart of Juneteenth is a single, transformative document: General Order No. 3. Issued by Union Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, it reads in part:

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

This order put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation in the last Confederate state where it had yet to be enforced. Today, the original handwritten document is preserved by the National Archives, which has made it available online for public viewing.

Juneteenth Becomes Law

In June 2021, Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday. The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was passed by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by President Biden on June 17, 2021. It became Public Law 117–17.

Each year, the Library of Congress highlights significant anniversaries and historical milestones. Its “Today in History” feature for June 19 not only explains the origins of Juneteenth but connects it to broader historical currents in U.S. legal and social history, including the Emancipation Proclamation and Reconstruction.

The Law Library of Congress has compiled a legislative history of the holiday’s creation, including bill texts, floor statements, and related documents. This collection reveals the evolving recognition of Juneteenth in federal law and its symbolic importance in modern civil rights discourse.

Research Guides on Juneteenth and Emancipation

Several law libraries and public institutions have created research guides that curate key primary sources, case law, legislation, and scholarly commentary related to Juneteenth and emancipation.

• University of San Diego School of Law: Offers a Juneteenth guide with links to legislative history, primary documents, and recommended readings.

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• Hawai‘i State Law Library: Provides an overview of Juneteenth with links to resources and public education tools.

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These guides are particularly useful for educators, students, and legal researchers seeking entry points into more specialized legal databases and collections.

Ultimately, legal history is not only about statutes and court opinions. Instead, it is about the lived consequences of the law. The story of Juneteenth reminds us that emancipation did not arrive all at once or with equal clarity across the United States. Documents like General Order No. 3, legal archives of slavery and abolition, and the modern laws recognizing Juneteenth help us piece together a legal history that is often fragmented, contested, and unfinished.

Preserving these records and making them widely accessible ensures that the story of freedom is not lost. These collections honor the truth of what happened, while also supporting education, advocacy, and reflection on the law’s potential for justice. The more we preserve, the more we remember, and the better equipped we are to move forward.