The National Library of New Zealand has announced a new project to digitize community newspapers. These newspapers will be uploaded to the Papers Past platform, which already hosts over eight million pages. The library is partnering with The Preserving Local History and Education Trust for this initiative.
Mark Crookston, National Library director of content services, said the project will make local stories as accessible as major daily and metropolitan news. Jane Hill, a board member of the Trust, emphasized the importance of preserving local newspapers as they document much of New Zealand’s history. She said these newspapers contain rich content about everyday New Zealanders and their communities. If not preserved, this “first written draft of our history” could be lost forever.
The Trust aims to preserve the country’s newspapers, considering them a significant part of New Zealand’s cultural heritage. Trustee Andy Fenton said that while people often use online search engines and social media to learn about local history, it’s the community newspapers that hold this information. He reiterated the need to make this information available to all New Zealanders, now and in the future.
Earlier this year, there was a near loss of over a million photos documenting New Zealand’s history, which almost ended up in a rubbish dump in America. Fortunately, those that did make it to America were eventually returned to New Zealand in digitized form.
