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05/06/2016

NAA members participate in Library of Congress pilot to transition away from microfilm archiving

From The NAA

For nearly a century, newspapers (now totaling 405) have been required to submit their daily newspapers in microfilm format to the Library of Congress for the purpose of preserving history. NAA is working with the Library to eventually transition to a more technologically advanced submission format, PDF.

As of right now, the Library of Congress defines microfilm as the best edition format for submission into the archives. This outdated technology is rapidly becoming unavailable and our members need a new way to submit to both the Library of Congress and the Copyright office.  

NAA members The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, The Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press Citizen are participating in a pilot period where they send PDFs to the Library of Congress. The pilot program is anticipated to end August 31, 2016.

By the end of the project, the Library team will create a resource plan to transition from a pilot to a large-scale operation, including an automated submission process. Updating the standards of submission will pave the road for a digital-focused media while continuing the Library’s mission of preservation.

Read more about the project here. For more information, please email Danielle.coffey@naa.org.

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