Partners to Scan 250,000 Pages of Massachusetts Documents
The State Library has issued the following press release:
BOSTON, Mass., August 14, 2008 – The State Library of Massachusetts and the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston have announced a partnership to scan and electronically preserve 250,000 pages of Massachusetts session laws from 1620 to the present, making it easier for people to access these important historical documents.
"This is an exciting project and a significant undertaking," said Dr. Daniel Ortiz, university librarian at UMass Boston.
UMass Boston will sponsor the digitization of the State Library's collection of Massachusetts Acts and Resolves, with the scanning of the documents to be performed at the Northeast Regional Scanning Center, housed at the Boston Public Library and sponsored by the Sloan Foundation, Boston Library Consortium, Inc., and Internet Archives.
The partnership, and its planned project, will provide students, legislators, historians, genealogists, policy researchers, and interested citizens with greater access to the vast wealth contained in these volumes.
After the announcement, Elvernoy Johnson, state librarian, said, "We are delighted and look forward to partnering with Daniel Ortiz to make these incredible documents readily available to the public, fostering R&D and informed citizenship."
The project is expected to begin this fall.
Contact Information
Elvernoy Johnson
State Librarian of Massachusetts
State Library of Massachusetts
Telephone: (617) 727-2592
Fax: (617) 727-9730
E-mail: elvernoy.johnson@state.ma.us
Dr. Daniel Ortiz
University Librarian
University of Massachusetts Boston
Telephone: (617) 287-5916
Fax: (617)287-5950
E-mail: Daniel.Ortiz@umb.edu
-Patrick Mahoney, State Library Staff
