The Backlog of Iowa Newspapers Ready For Preservation Continues to Grow

From Iowa Watch via Des Moines Register

Bundled stacks of newspaper fill shelves and overflow onto the floor in the archives of the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines. Traditionally, the papers would have been sent off to for preservation, but a 2009 budget cut ended that 50-year practice.
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A bill proposed last year would have provided funds for the backlog, but the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, which oversees the historical society, put on the brakes. It rejected the proposed funding citing pending completion of a master planning process and assessment study to evaluate what it has in the archives and how to preserve those materials in the future.
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The backlog, which includes 1,600 to 1,700 bundles of newspapers, would cost roughly $255,000 to preserve on microfilm. And papers continue to pile up.

Direct to Full Text Article via Des Moines Register or Iowa Watch

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Funding, Journal Articles, News, Preservation, Reports