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G2S Project Code: 2023-WA-93215
State: Washington
Fiscal Year: 2023
Grantee
Washington State Library

Project Director
Director Name: Shawn Schollmeyer
Director Phone: 360-570-5568
Director Email: shawn.schollmeyer@sos.wa.gov
General Information
Title: Washington Digital Newspapers
State Project Code: 09550-2421-21
Start Date: 10/01/2023
End Date: 09/30/2024
Abstract: Washington Digital Newspapers (WDN) has been a popular program for genealogists and researchers to access Washington newspapers from anywhere at any time. Washington State Library has the largest collection of Washington newspapers on microfilm, including some of the earliest pioneer papers in the state. WDN’s goal is to grow this online collection for preservation as per state statute (RCW 27.04.045 (8)) and educate communities on how best to preserve and access their newspaper heritage through digitization.
State Goal: Goal 2. Preserve and share Washington’s stories using methods and tools that balance accessibility with respect for the storytelling culture.
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$165,824.88
$0.00
$0.00
$165,824.88
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
Civic Affairs
History
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Washington Digital Newspapers Digitization Program
Narrative: This project supports community library and museum newspaper digitization projects with digital preservation consulting, scanning, metadata and hosting for free public access on the Washington Digital Newspapers website, washingtondigitalnewspapers.org. Newspapers digitized for this program have the approval of the publisher or are considered to be in the public domain and are hosted free for public access and non-commercial use. The program has a standing agreement with newspapers.com to provide for newspaper digitization from microfilm for free in exchange for a 3-year embargo on public access. Notable additions to the collection during this reporting period include The Rocket and additional issues of the Seattle Gay News, Island County Times, and Cashmere Valley Record.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items digitized: 44,609
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 20,998
Number of physical items: 0
Number of open-source applications/software/systems: 0
Number of proprietary applications/software/systems: 0
Number of learning resources (e.g. toolkits, guides): 0
Number of plans/frameworks: 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 1
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Outreach and mentorship
Narrative: The program manager presented about the program at state and region-wide conferences including Northwest Archivists, Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, and Washington Museum Association. She also consulted with libraries, local historical societies, city governments, and museums about newspaper digitization and digital preservation, and supervised a University of Washington Information School Capstone team who created an award-winning visualization of digitized newspaper pages per county.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 20
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 2


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: Yes
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Acquisition of newspaper issues
Narrative: Digitization requires identifying and locating as many issues from a newspaper's run as possible. This requires research, outreach, and often site visits to libraries, museums, historical societies, universities, and publishers. Donated newspapers require inventorying, cross-checking, and condition assessment. This year saw the acquisition of 84 issues of the Black Lens News and additional issues of Seattle Gay News and Cashmere Valley Record.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Physical


Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 84
Number of electronic materials acquired: 1,243
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
A major achievement for this program in this reporting period was the digitization of the complete run of The Rocket, a Seattle music newsletter published from 1979-2000. The 336 issues and more than 16,000 pages have generated a lot of interest in the WA Digital Newspapers project, and demand for newspaper digitization continues to be high, especially as original newspapers and even some microfilm are deteriorating.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
This reporting period demonstrated the perils of success. There was a lot of fanfare and publicity around the digitization of The Rocket, but future projects will need to come with funding in order to be added to the already full digitization schedule.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
One limiting factor for this project is IT support from WSL's parent agency. Greater flexibility and cooperation with the unique technological needs of this project would allow WDN to expand its capacity, but currently the project coordinator has to contend with slow downs and workarounds that impede output. SLAAs considering large-scale digitization projects should recognize that they come with significant IT demands.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: newspapers, digitization