WorldVitalRecords introduces ‘Preservation Package’

WorldVitalRecords has announced that it will “offer a new genealogical service to preserve photos, documents, videos and slides.”

The services offered include scanning documents, converting film-based medium, such as VHS to DVD, as well as digitizing content.

“The idea behind our Preservation Package was to provide a much broader dimension into helping people preserve their family legacy. With thousands of printed photographs and old videos that can become damaged or deteriorate, it only made sense for us to offer a service that allowed people to convert their items to a digital format. It has never been easier nor more cost effective to do that than today,” said Scott Spencer, Call Center Manager, WorldVitalRecords.com. “Customers can experience the piece of mind knowing their precious memories are safe and secure. Best of all, they can share them with family and friends quickly and easily, anywhere, any time, online through FamilyLink.com.”

These services are beginning to become a staple to genealogy research accessibility and community-based projects. However, in the preservation industry, the digital medium is still the subject of heated debate when it comes to preservation standards. Ones and zeros can be lost instantly due to human error, which DVDs are highly susceptible to, not to mention the quality of the actual disk.

Rare palm-leaf collections microfilmed and digitized

With help from the U.S. Consulate-General, rare palm-leaf collections residing at the United Theological College in Bangalore have been digitized and microfilmed. The project, launched in October 2006, started with a $35,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State, under the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Presentation.

“Some of the original material available in the library archive was getting old and had become brittle. Theological and secular scholars involved in research in sociology, ethnography and history have been using the library facilities, and digitising will help in providing better access to the materials.”

The collection includes manuscripts that are more than 200 years old, written in several Indian languages. The “first printed Bible in India that dates back to the 18th century” is also included in the collection.

California Newspaper Project goes digital

University of California Riverside will announce the release of its digital archive. The California Newspaper Project, started in 1990, will feature a searchable database that provides online access to publications such as The San Francisco Call, The Daily Alta California, and the Amador Ledger.

“Newspapers are the most important history in the state,” said center Director Henry Snyder, who retired as a history professor in 1994 and turns 78 next month.

More information about the project can be read in The Press-Enterprise article, “UCR’s long effort to preserve California’s newspapers goes online”

The Porterville Recorder to digitize and preserve historic archives

Heritage Microfilm, Inc., a newspaper preservation and digitization company has announced an agreement with the Porterville Recorder to digitize and preserve the publication’s historic archive.

From the press release:

The historic archives of The Porterville Recorder, a Freedom Communications newspaper in Porterville, California, will soon be accessible on microfilm, as well as in a searchable online database, through Heritage Microfilm. The newspaper, which was first published on May 21, 1908, contains a wealth of historical and genealogical information from Southern California.

Boston Library Consortium chooses the Open Content Alliance to digitize content

While many institutions are turning to companies like Google and Microsoft for their digitization and distribution needs, the Boston Library Consortium has chosen a different route. Last week, the consortium, made up of 19 state and institutional libraries announced that the Open Content Alliance (OCA) has been chosen to digitize its collection of books and other print materials currently in the public domain. The project will be based at Boston Public Library, which houses a new scanning facility developed by Internet Archive, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco.

The goal of the project is to release the final product – materials comprised from all of the participating institutions throughout the New England Area – without the constraints of working with a proprietary publisher such as Google. By selecting the OCA, the coalition has ensured that all content will be searchable by any search engine and available to the public.

The BLC’s Executive Director, Barbara G. Preece commented, “The Boston Library Consortium is excited about its partnership with the Open Content Alliance and its members. The Consortium believes that this collaboration is the living articulation of the BLC’s view to expand access to its rich resources held by the membership. The BLC/OCA project will ensure that materials digitized will remain free and open to scholars and the public.”

Press Release:
Boston Library Consortium Partners with Open Content Alliance to Provide Public Access to Digitized Books

“Task Force” to address digital preservation economic stability

Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access will address issues within the industry to ensure the future of digital research. Co-chaired by Fran Berman, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center at University of California, San Diego, and Brian Lavoie, research scientist with OCLC Programs and Research, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., the panel will work with the international market to develop recommendations for the preservation, digitization and access of informational materials for future economic stability.

Digital information illuminates our world, and modern life, work, education, and research depend on it,” said Christopher L. Greer, program director in NSF’s Office of Cyberinfrastructure. “The time to act is now to ensure the digital information is reliably available as an engine for progress in our global knowledge society and to secure our digital heritage for future generations.

Full Press Release from the OCLC :: Panel to address economic sustainability of digital preservation