Surveying the Prairie State: Preserving Historical Newspapers through Partnerships, Public Engagement, Best Practices, and Institutional Realities

This paper considers how public institutions can develop a survey to guide collaborative efforts to reach common goals in newspaper digitization. By hosting a nomination opportunity, institutions can survey the landscape of newspaper digitization needs and priorities. The lessons learned during this grant-funded proposal process provide institutions with a structure to host their own nomination opportunities or assessment surveys in order to further digitization efforts. This paper will provide an informed framework to support data-driven decisions about newspaper digitization and preservation in geographic regions with an array of institutional resources and limitations.