Newspaper Digitization

Nova Scotia has a rich history of newspaper publishing.  The first newspaper published in Canada was the Halifax Gazette in 1752.  Although there has been considerable work done over the years to preserve this newspaper record on microfilm, many titles are still only available in print and are in fragile condition.  There are an increasing number of community newsletters around the province which are a vital component of community history.  As well as historical newspapers, there is a substantial body of more recent newspapers from the 1970s and 1980s which need to be preserved. 

In March 2009 a group of stakeholders from archives and libraries from around the province met at Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management to discuss the status of Nova Scotia newspaper collections and preservation.  There was a good deal of interest in working together to ensure long term access to newspapers.  Click here to read a report from that meeting.

Libraries Nova Scotia has agreed to take on newspaper digitization as one of our projects.  A steering committee will be in place by the end of June 2009, and a pilot project will be undertaken, with funding from the Community Access Program.