Carpe Diem: Getting Started on Newspaper Digitization

Abstract

Historic newspaper digitization is rapidly expanding, yet for the digitization novice, the prospect of launching such a project can be daunting. It is, to say the least, a large and complex initiative to undertake. This paper creates a road map through this difficult maze. It describes the broader landscape, outlines organizational items, and discusses the pros and cons of selecting content and source materials, metadata, article segmentation, copyright, and other technical issues.