k. Did you experience any problems purchasing or installing software or equipment?

No. With the help of the library's technology consultant, we purchased a PC to use as a workstation for uploading and indexing images. We also purchased a HP CapShare hand held e-copier for scanning articles from the paper original if the microfilm articles can easily be scanned from bound volumes of the newspaper.

l. Are your scanned objects available on the World Wide Web? If so, what is the URL?

The images can be viewed at http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/advsearch.exe. (Click on "All Collections" - Scroll down to "Select available collections:" - Click on "Port Townsend Leader)

To view images scanned from the positive film, select the "issue & page" field in the "Browse terms" drop-down box; search on the term "April." For microfilm negative/PresRes images, search on the terms "October" and "Oct."

While we did not succeed in uploading a large volume of images for viewing on the Internet, I found that the experience of the pilot project was invaluable for continuing on with the larger scale project we are beginning in Fall 2000 (see below).

m. Are you planning another digital images project in the next two years? If so, will you continue to use the CONTENT software?

Port Townsend Public Library, in cooperation with Ellensburg Public Library and University of Washington Libraries, has been awarded a $38,480 LSTA grant to enhance the UW's Pacific Northwest labor history digital archive: Port Townsend will upload issues of the Leader from 1900-1910 and Ellensburg will contribute photographic and text images related to labor history and ethnic diversity in Kittitas County. The project will also demonstrate the costs and logistics of hosting local library images on the university's server. The CONTENT software will continue to be used for this project.

n. In your next digital images project, what would you do differently?

Use microfilm negatives and Preservation Resources exclusively.

o. Are you willing to participate on a panel to discuss digital projects at the Washington Library Association conference in Spokane, April 2001? If yes, please list a contact name and email for the person who will be involved.

Yes. Carol Cahill, ccahill@ci.port-townsend.wa.us

Here follows the July interim report:
PROGRESS REPORT DIGITAL IMAGES INITIATIVE PILOT TEST (July 18, 2000)
Contract G-2070 Port Townsend Public Library
Submitted by Carol Cahill, Project Manager

Project Abstract
This project will test the digitization of microfilm copies of the Port Townsend Leader newspaper. The Leader is the only continuous record of local history and current events, and is important to the life of the community. The pilot project will test creation of statewide access to issues of the newspaper via the Internet, including cost and logistics of converting images. Internet access to digital images of newspaper articles, with metadata indexing, would greatly enhance citizens' ability to use this rich historical resource.

Microfilm selection
An informal project advisory committee was established for the project. Members included the director of the Jefferson County Historical Society, a society member, the publisher of the local paper, and the pilot project manager.

The publisher of the Port Townsend-Jefferson County Leader has granted permission to scan and digitize issues of the newspaper over 75 years old. Since we've just begun a new century, the committee targeted years around 1900. In conversations with the museum director, it was decided to focus on the period 1902-1903, since duplicate paper copies of those issues could be unbound to scan if the microfilm version was missing or illegible.

Local microfilm rolls, while readily available, are in "positive" format, and have been used extensively by local history researchers, and show wear from the reading equipment. The preferred negative format films are available from Bell & Howell at $85 per roll.