The University Library and the Heritage Microfilm Company recently teamed to make Alderman Library’s international newspaper microfilm collection available in a searchable online database.
Microfilms, which are film reels that hold images of documents, require large machines to read them and often do not age well. Moving the University’s collection online will make it easier for researchers to access the newspapers and will preserve the collection, said Barbie Selby, research and information services manager for Alderman Library.
“It’s a pretty old technology,” Selby said about microfilm, adding that “vinegar syndrome” — a pungent smell that develops after time — often ruins the film reels. “[Microfilms] could be a good resource but it’s not [being] used to its full potential.”
Jamie Leon, regional specialist for Access NewspaperARCHIVE, an Internet gateway to various newspaper collections, said he contacted Selby to digitize the library’s international newspaper collection.
“We set up an initiative to obtain international newspaper content for our database, newspaperarchives.com,” Leon said.
Selby and Leon said Heritage will scan microfilm images run the created .pdf files through an optical character recognition process. The company will then load the content onto its Web site so that users can search the collection by name, keyword or date.
Leon said she chose Alderman’s collection because of the library’s large quantity of material.
“Of all of the research that I did, [Alderman has] the most impressive collection of international content, [some] that you can’t find anywhere else,” she said, emphasizing the availability of foreign newspapers with World War II coverage.
In exchange for making its collection available to Heritage, the University community will have free access to the database during the next three years. After three years, the University will pay a reduced price for accessing the online collection.
“We’re extremely excited to offer such unique content for researchers,” Heritage Director Mike Willard said.
Selby said although this arrangement is a “good partnership,” the University Library remains interested in other partnerships — perhaps with other universities, libraries and nonprofit organizations — that could make the University’s materials more widely and readily available.
Read More
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | 5 hours agoStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
Dean Rucker honored with Z Society’s highest honor, Pale Z Award
By Brendon Bordwine | 21 hours agoThe Society has a storied history of honoring University leaders with the Pale Z.
Students receive free STI testing through U.Va. Health and Wellness
By Jackie Bond | YesterdayThrough funding from Student Council, students are now able to receive free STI testing with SHW which includes tests for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Hepatitis C.
