SCLS to digitize historic newspapers with $25,000 grant

The Sussex County Library System (SCLS) is among 21 New Jersey public libraries awarded funding from the New Jersey State Library’s “REV 250: Examining the Semiquincentennial through a Jersey Lens” grant program.

The $25,000 grant will support “Opening Windows to the Past,” a project spearheaded by SCLS local history and genealogy librarian Tara Schaberg, to digitize part of the library’s historic newspaper collection and provide free, searchable online access for researchers, students and history enthusiasts.

As part of the project, SCLS will digitize and host New Jersey Herald microfilm from 1849 through the early 1900s. It also will edit and host previously digitized files from the Stanhope Eagle (1885-1950), Sussex County Independent (1871-1929), Sussex Register (1814-1943) and Wantage Recorder (1894-1937).

The digitization will be done using the community history platform by Advantage Archives, which also hosts digital collections for the Newark Public Library and the Albert Wisner Public Library in Warwick, N.Y.

“We are so proud of Tara Schaberg for securing the maximum grant amount for this important project,” said Ellen Callanan, assistant director of the SCLS.

“Her dedication to preserving and sharing Sussex County’s unique history will benefit our community for generations to come. This project will keep Sussex County’s history alive and accessible to everyone.”