The Parkland Archives and Digitalizing the Prospectus

In December of 1968 the Parkland Prospectus published its first issue long before it would go completely digital. For so long many of the copies published in print were available only through Parkland’s Archives.

Thanks to learning technologies and collections librarian Amanda Avery and information services librarian Kati Haskins the old issues will be more accessible than ever before.

The Process

Avery and Haskins began the process back in the fall of 2022 with the goal that anyone could easily access the print issues of the paper before it had gone digital. They would need a lot of money to complete this and decided to write a grant. The grant detailed all that they wanted to accomplish and what resources they would need to do it.

The two received funds along with new boxes better suited for the pages of the old issues for better storage.

The first ever issue of The Prospectus
Photo provided by Kassidy Scott

Both Avery and Haskins have spent many hours combing through the old issues and documenting which ones they have and taking note of the few that they don’t.

During the spring semester the two had help from a practicum student from the University of Illinois who helped by uploading the issues onto Parkland’s institutional repository Spark. In addition to Spark the Prospectus is being uploaded to the University’s Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections repository (IDNC).

Microfilm

Many of the issues they went through were physical copies that had to be sent to Backstage Library Works to be digitized. However there were a handful of issues only available on microfilm. These were digitized by Apex CoVantage who Avery and Haskins partnered with throughout the process.

Haskins was in charge of going through all of the microfilm inventorying it for their records. She spent a total of 23 hours looking through all the microfilm.

“This was like digitization before digitization.” Haskins said in regards to libraries still using microfilm today.

Issues of The Prospectus on microfilm
Photo provided by Kassidy Scott

Avery expressed their biggest concerns when it came to the issues only available through microfilm. Because they are photographs transferred onto film there was a possibility some images of the issues could come out blurry. Avery confirms that was not the case.

Their Passion for Preservation

Archival has always been something Avery and Haskins had a passion for. The two originally met in grad school in archival and conservation classes. Avery had been working at Parkland when Haskins started and already was working on various projects within the Parkland Archives.

“So when Kati started here and I had already claimed the archives, I was like ‘Hey, you wanna come help me with this right?’” said Avery.

Avery also confirmed that unlike in the movies you would not use gloves to handle documents. Both Avery and Haskins expressed this is a fact many archivists get riled up about.

Missing Issues

Avery and Haskins have compiled most of the issues ever released by the Prospectus but are still missing some issues.

If you or anyone you know may have one of the following issues, please reach out to the Parkland Archives. Avery and Haskins, along with the Prospectus, are hoping to have every issue of the paper’s history digitized by the end of this year.

The missing issues are: Vol 2: Issue 6-7 & 12; Vol 5: Issue 13; Vol 7: Issue 16; Vol 15: Issue 24; Vol 16: Issue 24; Vol 22: Issue 20, 24; Vol 27: Issue 1; February 14th, 2008 (possibly never printed); November 25th, 2009; August 11th, 2010 (possibly never printed; August 18th, 2010(possibly never printed); August 31st, 2011; November 2nd, 2016.