Determining Newspaper Digitization Priorities

UNB Libraries is committed to digitizing as much content as possible to expand access to New Brunswick’s historical record and make more titles available to researchers and the public. This work requires careful consideration of copyright, rarity, community representation, research needs, and the condition and format of materials.

Rising costs for processing, preservation, and digital infrastructure make it challenging as we bring more titles into the collection. Moreover, limited staffing capacity, competition for the allocation of specialized equipment and competing UNB Libraries and UNB projects constrains the pace at which digitization can be completed.

The New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project  encompasses three streams of digitization: from print, from microfilm, and reformatting previously digitized material with partner institutions.

Criteria in consideration of digitization:

• Copyright
      Copyright permission is generally needed for material after the 1920s. Material that may be posted publicly with no copyright restrictions is prioritized.
• Rarity
      Rare titles are prioritized and print or microfilm in poor condition are also prioritized.
• Availability
      Titles that are already available digitally on other platforms are generally not prioritized.
• Geographic area
      Representation from all regions of New Brunswick, rural and urban areas, is considered.
• Research Popularity
      Weight is given to titles most often requested.
• Time range
      Older material may receive higher consideration, but a range of time periods is a goal.
• Format
      Print and microfilm streams of digitization are concurrent, so two streams need to be taken into consideration for processing.

Questions During Decision Process:

1. Has this title already been digitized by an institution? The Project site is used as an index to check all known copies.
2. Is this title out of copyright, published in the 1920s or earlier? Has copyright permission been granted by the current owners?
3. How rare is this title/these issues?
4. Does this title represent a group or region that is currently underrepresented in available digital titles?
5. Is this a title that is often requested by researchers?
6. What format is the material (print, microform, digital) and its size? This is in consideration of UNB Libraries’ staffing and equipment availability.