NEWSPLAN The Way ahead

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• NEWSPLAN The Way ahead
• Ed King, Head of Newspaper Collections, British
  Library
• NEWSPLAN LIEM Regional Council 2 October 2008

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Summary of NEWSPLAN Programme

• UK wide
• Two guiding principles
• Access to newspapers
• Preservation of newspapers
• Access
• Surveys of each regions holdings Reports,
  1986-1996
• Databases developed and maintained by each region
  of its newspaper holdings
• Preservation
• Local authority library book budgets set aside
  for microfilming, normally 1
• BL enlarged its microfilming programme
  1970-present

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NEWSPLAN2000

• 1990s More funds needed to quicken the pace of
  filming
• Bid to Heritage Lottery Fund prepared
• Bid successful in early 1999
• 5 million allocated by HLF
• Matched funding needed from Libraries and
  newspaper publishers
• Project began fully in 2001
• Project ended 2005
• HLF not (at this time) funding continuation

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NEWSPLAN2000

• Achievements
• 1,325 newspapers preserved by microfilming
• 12.9 million pages preserved
• 30, 476 reels of microfilm
• Distribution to regions of
• Positive Film
• 156 reader printers
• 309 microfilm readers
• Details available on web at http//news.vispweb3
  .userarea.co.uk/

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NEWSPLAN The Way Ahead

• Review of role and purpose of regional
  committees.
• A project to plan and resource the updating the
  NEWSPLAN databases a common standard for the
  separate regional databases feasibility of
  creating a national database
• Listing of titles uniquely held by regions to be
  compiled
• Location and preservation status
• Details of hard copy holdings
• Details of issues microfilmed
• Standard of microfilm

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NEWSPLAN The Way Ahead

• Digitisation
• Strong interest in regions
• More information required on standards best
  practice
• Need for regions to buy in to the need take
  lead on project proposals
• BL is to go further with digitisation of 19th
  century newspapers in next few years
• Plan a one day conference on preservation and
  digitisation of newspapers in 2009

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NEWSPLAN The Way Ahead

• 3425 titles listed as In Peril in 1999
• 1325 titles filmed by NEWSPLAN2000
• Likely that possible lt 2000 titles still in
  peril
• Libraries/ regions to decide what titles are
  unique
• Make project proposals to
• Update regional databases
• Digitise unique newspapers
• Recognition that digital is still in early phase
  for image creation and processing, making
  available texts online, and preservation of data

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BL recent digitisation developments

• JISC funded projects
• British Newspapers 1800-1900 48 titles, 2 m.
  pages
• British Newspapers1620-1900 31 titles, 1 m.
  pages
• 2. Burney Collection of 18th century newspapers,
  1 m. pages
• 3. BL to carry on with further digitisation of
  19th century newspapers as part of its Newspaper
  Strategy (no definite numbers yet)

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Benefits of a new NEWSPLAN Project

• Increased use of local libraries
• Keeping up to date with new technology
• Link between microfilm and digitisaiton
• Raise awareness locally of newspapers at risk
• Links with newspaper publishers
• Links between older runs and current newspapers

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Regional Benefits of a new NEWSPLAN Project

• Knowledge of titles at risk
• How to ensure users get what they need
• Gain further practical experience of doing a
  digital project
• Images only to be presented or,
• Images plus full text searchability
• Preservation of data files
• Links to other digital projects in the local area

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NEWSPLAN The Way Ahead

• Thanks for your attention
• Questions?

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