Chattanooga’s history is recorded in its newspapers. It’s the same city that served as the launching point for Sherman’s March to the Sea during the Civil War, and was also where a young Adolph Ochs career grew as the publisher of The Chattanooga Times, and later The New York Times.

Historic newspapers offer a unique and valuable view into every aspect of history, culture and daily life. They provides a better understanding of the events and news in the context in which it was made.

It’s no surprise that newspapers have been described as the first draft of history.

Newsprint has an approximate shelf-life of 50 years, so many older newspapers were microfilmed years ago and remain preserved in that medium (estimated lifespan at 200 years). However, microfilm is not searchable and cumbersome to work with. Current technology has broadened digitization options.

Ultimately, the institutions and/or individuals who possess microfilm are the gatekeepers of preserving history through digitization. An entire industry has evolved to serve those needs - but at costs that are only attainable through significant grant programs such as The National Digital Newspaper Program, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Library of Congress.