Preserving contemporary newspapers: A new survey of state libraries in the USA

Abstract

Newspaper collections require the use of archival science techniques and public librarianship. Indexing and public access are necessary for the provision of newspapers, while preservation underpins these efforts. In the United States, newspaper publishing tactics are changing quickly, causing upheaval in reading rooms and archival stacks. At the same time, the users’ focus upon digital access to newspapers has been wrongly conflated with the preservation formatting required to save them. A new U.S. survey of state library directors and newspaper collection managers addresses ways in which archivists and librarians evolve so that current titles with intrinsic value can be dovetailed into existing newspaper collections. Traditional practices of filming, digital image collecting, and print rotation still prevail. The survey was completed in 2023, and it is hoped that the findings will stimulate new discussions about newspaper preservation in the 21st century.