SCOPE: National Digital Newspaper Program (KY-NDNP4)

The University of Kentucky (UK) Libraries propose a two-year project to contribute to the Test Bed Phase of the National Digital Newspaper Program. The Kentucky Newspaper Project Redux (KNP Redux) will prepare 100,000 digital pages images from high quality microfilm of historic Kentucky newspapers representing the period 1900 to 1910. KNP Redux will select titles from the Libraries' extensive holdings of Kentucky newspaper on microfilm. Approximately 450 reels of microfilm and 450,000 pages of Kentucky newsprint form the target collection for conversion into OCR'd, fully keyword searchable, digital images. Prior to conversion, KNP Redux will inspect the microfilm to ensure that it conforms to standards for conversion. In addition to the creation of the master TIFF images, derivative files and the OCR'd text files, KNP Redux will prepare metadata to facilitate the discovery and navigation of the digital archive. The newspaper titles will be represented by CONSER standard MARC records. The TIFF files and all derivatives will be conveyed to the Library of Congress, and finally, the print master microfilm generated for film to digital conversion will be deposited with the Library of Congress's Photoduplication Services. The KNP Redux staff, in consultation with an Advisory Board, will select titles that represent all regions of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. With 120 counties and a sprawling geography imbued with the history of manifest destiny and westward expansion, Kentucky has accumulated a rich history of newspaper publication and distribution. Additionally, Kentucky's press maintains a long history. In 1869, the Kentucky Newspaper Association formed as the 10th oldest similar organization in the United States. During KNP Redux, staff will compile an authoritative essay about the state's newspaper publishing history during the 1900-1910 era. In addition, a brief history of each publication will accompany the digital newspaper The target collection represents Kentucky's six geophysical regions: the Eastern Mountains and Coal Fields, the Bluegrass, the Knobs Are, the Mississippi Plateaus known as the Pennyroyal (or, Pennyrile), the Mississippi Embayment called the Jackson Purchase and the Western Coal Fields. Preliminary reviews indicate that UK's microfilm holdings for 1900-1910 include 42 counties and 65 titles broadly representing all six regions. These titles are almost entirely complete and feature considerable files post-dating the pilot and some significant, but definitely less complete, holdings prior to the pilot dates. One geographic area less well-represented is that of Eastern Appalachia at the West Virginia and Virginia borders. In an effort to expand the representative character of the UK microfilm collection, KNP Redux will complete a survey to locate newspaper collections not on microfilm. By the end of KNP Redux, a state-wide survey will be complete facilitating future plans to catalog and microfilm the newly located materials. Some of these source documents may be critical to filling gaps during the microfilm-to-digital conversion.