National Library of Australia

Preserve

The Australian Newspaper Plan project aims to preserve Australian newspapers for permanent access. Australian Newspaper Plan libraries aim to preserve, where possible, one hardcopy of every newspaper in their jurisdiction.

Many newspapers from the mid-1850s are printed on chemically unstable ground wood pulp paper, which deteriorates rapidly with age and use. For this reason, Australian libraries are also reformatting newspapers through microfilming and digitisation.

original hard copy newspapers storage of newspapers on microfilm digitised storage of newspapers

Preserving Australian newspapers: a. Original hard copy newspapers. Traditionally bound into monthly editions. b. Preservation microfilming: a medium for long-term preservation of newspaper content. c. Digital storage of newspapers. Photo courtesy of State Library of Queensland.

Why microfilm?

In order to protect newspapers for as long as possible, but still provide access to the information they contain, libraries and archives are microfilming newspapers. Australian libraries first became involved in microfilming with the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) in 1948. Due to its relatively low cost and high-speed production, as well as ease of storage, microfilm has proved to be a popular preservation option. In Australian libraries, cooperative newspaper microfilming projects are being carried out as part of the Australian Newspaper Plan: see Cooperative Newspaper Microfilming 2007/8. See also recently re-filmed newspapers and current activities on this website.

Just because a newspaper is microfilmed doesn't mean it's preserved!

If microfilm is to be a 'preservation copy' of a newspaper then it must be produced and housed according to archival standards. Early microfilm was often made from cellulose acetate which is unstable under all but the most stringent storage conditions. When cellulose acetate deteriorates it gives off acetic acid which smells like vinegar. This process is known as 'vinegar syndrome'. Microfilm must be replaced or copied urgently if vinegar syndrome is identified. Further information on acetate deterioration and management is available on the Australian Network for Information on Cellulose Acetate website. Cellulose acetate materials are no longer used to produce microfilm. Polyester film became popular for making microfilm from the mid-1970s and is very stable.

Microform preservation masters (first generation film) are archived in cold storage separately from duplicating masters (second generation film) and working copies (third generation film) whenever possible.

Information on preservation microfilming may be found at:

Digitisation

While microfilm has been the traditional medium for preserving newspapers, Australian libraries are also interested in providing access to digitised versions of historical newspapers. Digitisation of newspapers offers some distinct advantages. It makes it easier for people to use newspapers from any computer and in some cases it helps by making the text of the newspaper searchable. The National Library’s Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program is a project that aims to provide online searchable access to a number of major Australian newspapers.

Australian Newspaper Plan libraries have been considering what role digitisation plays as a preservation strategy for newspapers. Following a workshop held in June 2007, these libraries developed a Digital Action Plan to assist it to meet its responsibilities in the digital age.

See also: The Australian Newspaper Plan: Preserving for Permanent Access in the Digital Age.

Due to technical obsolescence, digital copies cannot be considered 'preservation copies' unless the digital files are produced and managed to certain standards. Further information about these issues is available on the Preserving Access to Digital Information (PADI) website.

Other Resources:

Projects related to the Australian Newspaper Plan

United Kingdom

  • UK NEWSPLAN — contains information relating to the preservation of local newspapers throughout the United Kingdom and is a co-operative program between the Heritage Lottery Fund and the UK Newspaper Industry.
  • British Library — lots of information about newspapers in Britain.

United States/North America

  • Global Newspaper Program — a program undertaken by the Centre for Research Libraries, this site has links to other useful sites, such as the International Coalition on Newspapers and the Foreign Newspapers Database.
  • International Coalition on Newspapers — a preservation project being undertaken by the Centre for Research Libraries and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities; this group deals with the management and preservation of newspaper collections.
  • United States Newspaper Program — funded by the National Endowment of the Arts with assistance by the Library of Congress, this site describes the United States newspaper preservation program and lists program participants.
  • See also the Library of Congress — describes the United States Newspaper Program and its aim to preserve newspapers published in the United States from the eighteenth century to the present.

Digital Newspaper Initiatives from Around the World

Australia

The Netherlands

New Zealand

United States

Further Newspaper Preservation Resources:

Last updated: 4/2/08

Why microfilm?

Digitisation

Projects related to the Australian Newspaper Plan

Digital Newspaper Initiatives from around the World