MILWAUKEE – The South Milwaukee Public Library is seeking to raise $15,000 to digitize more than 100 rolls of 35mm microfilm containing historical South Milwaukee newspapers from 1892 to 2006, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The effort comes following the failure of the microfilm reader and printer at the library, leaving those rolls unreadable. Rather than invest in a new reader, the library and South Milwaukee Historical Society have chosen to digitize the newspapers.
South Milwaukee business owner Jay Benkowski is partnering with the library and society to match all new donation dollar-for-dollar. So far about $5,000 has been raised toward the $15,000 goal.
The full digitization of the newspapers will be done by the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, which has the originals of the microfilm.
