The Comellus project creates new expertise and solutions for the long-term preservation of printed publications
The Mikkeli-based Centre for Preservation and Digitisation of the National Library of Finland has launched a three-year project to develop a production process and model for the electronic deposit and archiving of newspapers. The Comellus project is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF/"Leverage from the EU"), the South Savo Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, the City of Mikkeli and the National Library.
The Act on Deposit and Preservation of Cultural Material stipulates that manufacturers, publishers and importers must submit to the National Library legal deposits of all the material that they have published in Finland, including books, magazines, sound recordings, sheet music and various ephemera. In addition, printing houses must deposit all newspapers in their original paper format to the National Library.
Developing the electronic deposit of newspapers benefits both parties of the legal deposit process. From the perspective of library services, the most important aspect of the project is that electronic copies of newspapers provide researchers and other information seekers with accessible, easy-to-use source material.
The National Library's partners
The National Library's partners in the Comellus project include the publisher of the Länsi-Savo newspaper, Etelä-Savon Viestintä Oy, and the publisher of the Etelä-Suomen Sanomat newspaper, Esan Kirjapaino Oy. The project involves the conversion of newspapers deposited by Länsi-Savo and Etelä-Suomen Sanomat in PDF format to highly durable microfilm copies and the enrichment of the metadata (descriptive data) of old digitised volumes. Another aim is to ensure that the material posted online is as easy to use as possible.
Majlis Bremer-Laamanen, the director of the Centre for Preservation and Digitisation of the National Library, is pleased not only for her own organisation, but also for the fact that the Comellus project strengthens the status of Mikkeli as the national centre of digitisation, archiving and electronic services. The project will initially hire a project manager and IT designers and later an operator.
"We have handled the recruitment of new staff together with Digitalmikkeli, the Mikkeli-based cluster of expertise in digitisation, electronic services and archiving. The new staff to be recruited will cooperate with the experts at Digitalmikkeli," Bremer-Laamanen explains.
Further information
Laboratory Manager Maria Sorjonen
National Library Centre for Preservation and Digitisation
maria.sorjonen(at)helsinki.fi
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IN BRIEF
Majlis Bremer-Laamanen
Photo by Heini Lehväslaiho
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