Anderson Archival logo

Newspaper Preservation Methods

Preservation Methods

Newspapers: A Snapshot of Time

Newspapers offer a unique look at historical and cultural events. Not only do they provide reports of what happened, but by looking at the entire issue or issues surrounding a memorable event, historians and researchers can build a bigger picture of how the world looked when the event occurred. What ads were being marketed? What other stories were reported during this time? What did society see as important, taboo, memorable, or exciting? A well-preserved newspaper can offer a snapshot of time.

stack of newspaper for preservation
How newspapers are stored can impact their usability

Context Creates Culture

This is why newspaper preservation methods need to include more than merely individual articles digitized and catalogued according to section or topic or author. The whole page, section, and issue is important when looking into the past. For years this has meant hours sorting through microfiche or microfilm, but such conversion now proves to be inadequate. Only someone with the physical film and machine can search, and flipping through pages can mean missing something important.

Our Newspaper Preservation Solutions

Anderson Archival’s newspaper preservation methods show how far technology has come. We maintain the layout of the original when converting print materials into searchable PDFs that can be copied, transferred, or accessed anywhere around the world. Historians and researchers lose none of the context of the time period through these newspaper preservation methods. The use of metadata and custom software can ensure the newspaper’s contents in these PDFs are as accessible and detailed as any database of disparate articles.

file storage before imaging and indexing

Anderson Archival is committed to ensuring the newspaper preservation methods we choose will stand the test of time. Just like microfilm can only be accessed if you have a machine to read it, so too can file types become too antiquated to be read by modern software. Our staff will make sure your collection of newspapers will be preserved in a format accessible for generations to come.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Digital preservation is about connecting to history. We do our best to bring you the important news and personal stories you’re interested in. We’re always looking for article ideas. Come learn with us!