The National Library to receive newspapers in digital format
Published: 6.2.2012
CREATING NEW SOLUTIONS FOR THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF PRINTED PUBLICATIONS AS WELL AS DIGITAL ACCESS
The National Library of Finland’s Mikkeli-based Centre for Preservation and Digitisation has launched the Comellus project to create a new technique for the electronic deposit and receipt of newspapers and to develop the processes related to the microfilming and availability of newspapers received in digital form. The electronic deposit method being developed will allow newspaper publishers to deposit digital printing plates in the National Library. Newspaper material will thus be immediately available in digital form for access and long-term preservation, which enables scholars and private individuals to conduct more detailed searches of the material than when searching manually.
Newspapers are a vital source of information for scholars and the public alike. Due to financial considerations, however, newspapers are printed on inexpensive paper that deteriorates rapidly. The National Library microfilms newspapers and copies the films for other libraries. Microfilm is expected to last some 500 years, guaranteeing the preservation of newspaper content far into the future.
The Comellus project will benefit newspaper publishers, the National Library, scholars and other information seekers. In future, newspapers can be microfilmed quickly and efficiently through the COM (Computer Output Microfilm) process. It will be easier and more cost-effective to provide scholars and the public with access to digitally deposited newspapers via the National Library’s Historical Newspaper Library, as the material need not be digitised or post-processed.
Both new and old newspaper material will be made available through a single user interface, which facilitates information retrieval and enables the use of new research methods. The use of source material is directly related to ease of access for researchers as well as technical usability. For copyright reasons, however, new newspaper material cannot be made more widely available without prior agreement with the copyright holders. The National Library is cooperating with newspaper publishers and Kopiosto, the Finnish organisation representing copyright owners, to establish such agreements.
The Comellus project will further strengthen Mikkeli’s status as a hub of digitisation, archiving and electronic services in Finland. The three-year project is funded by the European Social Fund, the South Savo Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, the City of Mikkeli and the National Library. The National Library’s partners in the project include Etelä-Savon Viestintä Oy, the publisher of the Länsi-Savo newspaper, and Esan Kirjapaino Oy, the publisher of the Etelä-Suomen Sanomat newspaper.
Further information
Project Manager Matti Hosio, National Library of Finland, Centre for Preservation and Digitisation, matti.hosio(at)helsinki.fi, tel. 050 318 2320
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