SmallTownPapers

09/01/2026

Digitally preserving archives can be daunting for small market newspapers with limited resources.

The McKenzie River Reflections in Oregon was there -- wanting to preserve nearly 50 years of documented community history and understanding the urgency since a local library collection had been lost to fire.

They partnered with us back in 2005 to begin scanning and putting their searchable archive online. Read more about their story - https://tinyurl.com/mussvnuk

You can also visit their archive at mrr.stparchive.com.

McKENZIE BRIDGE: Over four decades of McKenzie River Valley history can be searched from a computer screen through an online archive of McKenzie River Reflections. The archive contains thousands of pages documenting life along the McKenzie since Reflections began publication on August 23, 1978. The....

08/28/2026

With limited funds, organizations work to determine when the best time is to digitize historical collections and which artifacts should be first.

When should an organization digitize its historical collections?

Before you urgently need to.

Waiting until materials deteriorate further, a longtime archivist retires, a researcher comes looking for something, or disaster strikes can mean valuable history is already at risk.

The good news? You don't have to digitize everything at once.

Start with the materials that are:
📜 Most historically significant
❤️ Most vulnerable to deterioration
🔎 Most frequently requested
📚 Most valuable to researchers and your community

The best time to start isn't when your archive is in crisis. It's while you still have the materials, the people and the knowledge to do it right. Reach out today. ArchiveInABox can help you get started.

08/04/2026

An easy, turnkey way to finally get your archives digitally preserved -- and they have expertise with fragile, large format preservation.

Every archive has a story—but every year, those stories become more fragile.

If your organization has team members who understand the historical value of your collections, now is the time to act. Waiting can mean further deterioration, fewer people with institutional knowledge, and a more complex and costly digitization project down the road.

Digitizing your archives today preserves both your collections and the expertise of the people who know them best. Once your materials are safely digitized, you can decide when, where, and how to share them.

ArchiveInABox® makes the process simple with turnkey digitization solutions designed to fit your budget, your timeline, and your preservation goals.

07/28/2026

Exciting to see the work Catholic dioceses and their archivists are doing to digitally preserve and provide access to historical archives.

We're honored to have been a sponsor of the Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists (ACDA) 2026 Biennial Conference earlier this month! It was a privilege to support the event for the dedicated professionals who work every day to preserve the rich history and records of the Catholic Church. The conference focused on making archival collections more accessible, discoverable, and usable for future generations.

At ArchiveInABox, we're passionate about helping organizations safeguard their history. We've already had the privilege of digitizing Catholic newspapers—including the Arkansas Catholic archive—and we're excited to help more dioceses preserve newspapers, photographs, sacramental records, manuscripts, and other irreplaceable collections for generations to come.

Take a look at the Arkansas Catholic digital archive: https://arc.stparchive.com/

If your diocese, parish, or religious organization is exploring digitization or digital preservation, we'd love to talk. Contact us to learn how we can create a solution tailored to your collection.

07/16/2026

Preserving history means more than protecting records—it means ensuring people can discover and access them for generations to come.

The planned closure of the National Archives at Chicago highlights why both preservation and accessibility are essential to safeguarding our shared history.

When archives become harder to access, history becomes harder to discover.

The planned closure of the National Archives at Chicago is a reminder that preserving historical records is only part of the equation—ensuring people can access them is just as important.

The facility houses irreplaceable collections documenting immigration, Native American history, federal court cases, Great Lakes maritime records, genealogy, and countless community stories. Many of these records have never been digitized, meaning researchers currently must visit the archives in person to use them.

Whether it's a family historian tracing their roots, a journalist uncovering the past, or researchers searching for long-forgotten records, digital access helps protect history while making it available to everyone—regardless of where they live.

👉https://tinyurl.com/mrymdjz8

07/16/2026

🖥️Learn about SmallTownPapers' expanding suite of services for organizations looking to digitally preserve archives and make them accessible and searchable online - and now use AI to search your collections offline with our new AIBPAL.

👉https://www.smalltownpapers.com/

06/26/2026

Some interesting points here about how a news article appears when appearing in an AI query response and who's responsible for accuracy.

06/15/2026

06/15/2026

It's one of our favorite parts of historic archives, as well! The ads really give readers a taste of what life was like in the past.

The Sturgeon Bay Historical Society presents the Old Sturgeon Bay Advertisements Project to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary during the Heritage Alliance of Door County’s History Days, a county-wide celebration of […]

06/12/2026

"News deserts" are becoming more and more common - not the news we like to share, but it's important to understand the impact.

With little advance notice or explanation, Paddock Publications has ceased publishing at least 13 of its 20 newspapers in Illinois this month.