West Parry Sound District Museum in Ontario wants to digitize its entire Parry Sound North Star newspaper archives, from 1879 to 2005, but it needs financial support from the community.
To digitize the entire collection, the museum must raise $150,000, and it’s asking for donations.
According to the museum, it costs them $1 to digitize one newspaper page. If repairs need to be done to the pages of the newspaper before it can be scanned, the cost becomes $4 per page.
So far, the museum has digitized seven years of the newspaper, and once online the collection will be searchable.
As more funds are raised in support of the project, the museum will gradually digitize more issues of the newspaper.
The museum says, “This project will allow you to experience the West Parry Sound District’s history like never before, immersing yourself in the past with informative articles that cover a wide array of topics, such as world wars, local and world events, birth and death announcements, and so much more. The newspapers provide a glimpse of what society was like at the time, allowing individuals to recall memories of days gone by, or in a lot of cases, provide researchers with snapshot of what life used to be like.”
Parry Sound is a small town in Ontario, located 160 km south of Sudbury and 225 km north of Toronto. Its population today is about 6,500. During the early part of the 20th century, the area was a popular subject for many scenic art works by Tom Thomson and members of the Group of Seven. Hockey fans know Parry Sound as the birthplace of Bobby Orr.
More information about the digitization project and how to donate can be found on the West Parry Sound District Museum website.
