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!