National Digital Newspaper Program
Sadly, Pennsylvania stopped microfilming (as part of the USNP) in 1979 due to funding cuts. We just started up microfilming again in 2004. I have the distinction of serving on the Pennsylvania Newspaper Project Selection Committee. I go to Harrisburg once a year, get emails and selection packets (regular mail) in between. We have discovered that we have far more unfilmed newspapers (19th & 20th century) than we have anywhere near enough money to film. We are awash with things in need of salvation.
Even putting the titles of the newspapers we've found and their locations (libraries, historical societies, publishers, collectors) on the web seems daunting. The NEH did not give us funds for that; the State Library doesn't have funds; MPOW's titles don't even show well in our catalog let alone the state-wide union catalog, AccessPA. Go ahead, look for the Philadelphia Bulletin. Please let me know if you can find it and the years we have without calling MPOW. Big hint: it began publication before 1870.
I am sorry--that would be an exercise in frustration. Uniform title = Evening Bulletin. Even then, you'll never find the correct years. All this to express my frustration that we will not begin digitizing Pennsylvania newspapers through USDNP...we are too far behind, and we have too much.
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Couldn't digitizing be a replacement for microfilming? I'm not sure I understand the need to first microfilm, then digitize. Digital preservation is better than microfilming, and when done by a powerhouse like LC, there is little chance for data loss. If data loss is what you're worried about. I'd be more worried that a fire would destroy a fragile microfilm collection than I would that a server would crash and burn, thus losing all of LC's digital collections. For one thing, LC is obsesive about redundant backups.
I guess I forgot the /sarcasm tag in there somewhere. I consider the current status parlous.
The NDNP is scanning primarily from microfilm, which remains the standard for preservation of newspapers. I know I could fuel the war about electronic "archives" with ease here. I will resist temptation.
Coupla points: LC does not actually do the scanning for the other libraries--it is mostly farmed out to contractors, though some libraries scan their own stuff. The software and indexing has to meet LC standards. There is actually controversy over having LC "house" all the electronic collections. I am pretty far removed. The current grant PANP has from NEH can only be used for microfilming.
When I think about it, going ahead with the microfilming does make some sense. It is way cheaper than digitizing, and this stuff is literally rotting/burning up. We are looking at the papers from counties I've never even heard of.
When PA gets to the point of participating in NDNP, I fancy they will want to start with the big names/heavy hitters. Readex is working on their Early American Newspapers product in the meantime. So maybe we'll have a better look at the economics by then.
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