At long last, a long-term, on-going digitization project of the OHSU Historical Collections & Archives has come to a major milestone. Over the years the University and Public Affairs unit of the school collected news clippings from around Oregon and the country and glued them into 31 large folios, bound together with screws between leather covers. Covering the years 1953-1985, they reflect the growth and development of the institution over time and highlight the burning issues of the day.
Constraints of time and staffing required a methodical, strategic approach. It was decided that a dedicated time and space equipped with the proper hardware and software was necessary. A secure area tucked away in the bowels of the BICC building was chosen. A block of time of 4 hours, one day a week, was picked for doing the work. The weapon of choice was the Indus 5000 overhead book scanner, a German-made monster of a machine which is capable of scanning entire newspaper pages spread out, much larger than necessary for our folios. In 2009, the project began.
Things were very tidy at first, equaling one scan per page. As time went on, the rush of events took over, and soon pages were crammed full of everything from tiny obituaries, schedules, meeting notices and op-eds, to multi-page newspaper and magazine articles which soon had to be manipulated with the help of plexi-glass covers which helped separate the increasingly dense material. Scans began to average 3-4 per page, and occasionally required up to 9 scans to get at all the hidden information. Sometimes a scribbled note of apology by harried staffers was found.
Though admittedly a long slog, it proved to be a fascinating, sustained look at the way things have evolved here on the Hill. From the first organ transplantations in 1959, Civil Rights advances and setbacks in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the construction projects, budget crises, school consolidation, the extended saga of DMSO ,to the continuing adventures of Charlie Dotter, it was a veritable March Through Time. It was a vivid reminder of the breadth of experience and wealth of talent the institution has been blessed with over the years.
The final tally of the project was 9,205 scans.
Here's where we began.
--Jeff Colby, HC&A Assistant
