Historic San Luis Obispo County Newspapers

FAIN: PG-52564-15

History Center of San Luis Obispo County (San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3515)
Eva Ann Ulz (Project Director: May 2014 to September 2016)

A preservation assessment, staff training workshops that will be open to nearby cultural organizations, and the purchase of rehousing supplies for a collection of historic newspapers. The collection comprises nearly 250 bound volumes of newspapers, representing almost thirty local publications spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, which document people, places, and events in San Luis Obispo County and the California central coast region. The materials are accessible to the public at the institution’s reading room and have been consulted by researchers, journalists, and local K–12 students and used as source material for exhibitions.

The History Center’s historic newspaper collection is one of the most frequently accessed and significant primary sources for San Luis Obispo County and regional history. This project seeks to protect and preserve these documents and pave the way for digitization of this and other local newspaper collections. Preservation specialist Barclay Ogden will evaluate the condition of the History Center’s newspaper collection and outline a digitization plan. Ogden will conduct workshops to train staff and volunteers of the History Center as well as other local history organizations and archives to create condition reports, build archival enclosures, and plan for future use that respects the integrity of these fragile objects and increases access through collaborative county-wide digitization. The result of this proposal will be improved storage and preservation of newspaper collections at the History Center and around San Luis Obispo County and a path to sustainable access.