Digitised newspapers at Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library

Abstract

This paper reports a local newspaper digitisation project carried out by the Norfolk Library and Information Service. The project is unique because it is to date the only UK public library project to digitise and index a significant proportion of a newspaper collection. The paper opens with a review of some of the issues in newspaper access and preservation. It then describes how the Norfolk Library and Information Service project was carried out, and offers an assessment of how successfully the project addresses access and preservation issues. The paper concludes that the project should be seen as a success, although the costs involved, and the general unresolved issue of digital preservation means that it is not a practical option for most libraries. Greater information sharing from completed projects is needed, as this will provide a key to future success in other projects.