Digital Library Center - University of Florida Smathers Libraries

Digital Library Center Projects: CARIBBEAN NEWSPAPER IMAGING PROJECT

ABOUT THE COLLECTION :: ABOUT THE PROJECT :: SEARCHES (basic and full text)

LATIN AMERICAN COLLECTION :: CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES

The Caribbean Newspaper Imaging Project continues to grow from a series of demonstration projects, both funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the University of Florida Libraries. These projects occurred as two distinct phases:

Phase One: Imaging and Indexing Model.
A feasibility studies for imaging and indexing. The imaging study examined the efficacy of digitizing microfilms produced in advance of current preservation microfilming standards. It also examined the use of off-the-shelf microfilm-projection scanning, as well as associated costs, benefits and drawbacks. The indexing study examined indexing procedures, application of controlled terminology, and the costs associated with multi-lingual term assignments by human readers.

Phase Two: OCR Gateway to Indexing.
A feasibility study on the application of Optical Character Recognition (OCR). In its current state, the Project is undergoing technological renovation, that is migration from CD-ROM to Internet delivery. At the same time, the Project is developing plans for additional content.

The evolution of microform technology provided an impetus for substantial collection development effort in the 1950s and 1960s. The Libraries went to the Caribbean and other Latin American countries and microfilmed materials, many of which have now disappeared in their original printed formats. The Libraries also established an in-house microfilming program, which systematically converted Latin American newspapers received through subscription. Microfilm technology was a great advance, especially for long term preservation efforts and will remain an appropriate technology in most cases. However, it suffers several the inherent limitations. It must be used in situ or retrieved, copied and moved to another location, and finding aids/indexes/abstracts are usually published separately. Caribbean and other Latin American scholars come to the Collection and wind their way through reel after reel, since few indices exist, or must find funds to obtain copies for themselves or their libraries. This results in many Caribbean and Latin American social scientists and humanists not having access to their national and regional newspapers, in many cases their most important primary research resources. Many North American Latin Americanist scholars have this problem as well.

Through long standing agreements between the University of Florida Libraries and University Microfilms International, copies of most of the collection's microfilmed newspapers may be purchased. For instance, for approximately $20,000 an institution may purchase the 600 35mm microform reels of the Cuban newspaper Diario de La Marina from 1899 through 1961.

Microfilm is difficult to maintain, especially in uncontrolled environments or with inadequate equipment. Experience demonstrates that microfilm deterioration begins whenever optimal environmental conditions are not maintained. Interruptions in the air conditioning and humidity control systems initiates a slow deterioration process which cannot be stopped. In addition to maintaining environmental control, which is quite often beyond a library's control, substantial investments must be made in training staff to detect deterioration of suspect film may be replaced. Though most research libraries in the United States which have purchased copies of the microfilm maintain it under reasonable climate controls, many of the Caribbean libraries that have purchased copies of the microfilm do not have adequate climate controls. These libraries have had to replace copies periodically and at great expense.

Preservation of digital collections also requires substantial effort and equipment; and, the University of Florida Libraries is committed to preservation of its digital collections, including Caribbean Newspaper Imaging Project resources. A separately housed tape collection, with especially designed environmental controls meeting current electronic media storage standards, was established over twenty years ago at the Smathers Libraries and now contains more than 20,000 archived computer tape files. Electronic media deteriorates more quickly than microfilm, but it can be "replaced" more readily than microfilm with data refreshed or restored. Detection, refreshment, and duplication can be scheduled and automated, substantially reducing maintenance expense. Digitized images can be exactly copied with no loss of image quality. Caribbean Newspaper Imaging Project resources are maintained in multiple electronic formats, not withstanding the digital distribution format that the Project's users find online. Each format has established maintenance schedules. In addition, the University of Florida Libraries is committed to preserving the source microfilm negatives.

With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

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Digital Library Center Projects: CARIBBEAN NEWSPAPER IMAGING PROJECT