Advantage Archives Inner Banner Bg

Category: Digitization Resources

Historical Resource Development Program Grants (HRDP)

HRDP Grants Iowa is a state rich in history. The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA) recognizes the importance of preserving and promoting that history through its Historical Resource Development Program (HRDP). The program provides financial assistance to nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and individuals who are dedicated to preserving and promoting Iowa’s historical resources. The […]

Planning To Digitize? Use A “3 Legged Stool”

Planning To Digitize? Use A “3 Legged Stool” When evaluating how to approach making your microfilm or other historical printed content available digitally, plan for the best balance of quality and quantity that allows you to maximize the available funds, We all know that preserving our cultural heritage often falls to local communities and groups, […]

Making Old Newspapers Searchable: Microfilm & OCR

The Paper Problem: With the newfound ability to assemble content and produce pages quickly and efficiently, existing papers increased their circulation numbers substantially. The demand for the paper on which to print the news inevitably grew as well. This created a need to use a less expensive paper stock to match the increased production rates. […]

Making Old Newspapers Searchable: The Next Era

Despite achieving the means to print in mass quantities, the publishing industry’s productivity was largely constrained by the need to set type by hand. By 1880, the Linotype Printing machine was invented. The machine used a keyboard, which allowed an entire line of type to be laid at once. The requisite time and effort to […]

Making Old Newspapers Searchable: The History of Printing

Until the first part of the 19th century, the composition and typesetting were accomplished by painstakingly placing each individual letter into a “galley” by hand. The galleys were then placed into a “chase” that was the size of the final page. Since each letter was placed individually, there was no method for standardization or uniformity.If […]

Making Old Newspapers Searchable: The Beginning

The newspaper industry in the United States has evolved considerably over the last 300 years. Each development in the typesetting methods, printing process, and paper stock created unique challenges in adapting the digital image of old newspapers to a searchable format. Digitization Of Historical Newspapers & OCR (Optical Character Recognition) “What history buffs want is […]

Get Started!