If you browse over to the
Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library website, front and center are links to digitized versions of the town newspapers
The Independent and
The Matawan Journal. In addition to digitizing the papers, IDI installed a
Digi-Find It system, which allows library patrons to search the papers by date and keyword.
"Digi-Find means that patrons are now able to search through material much more easily," says Library Director, Kimberly Paone. Those seeking obituaries, news articles, material for school projects, and information about the infamous "shark attack in Matawan" can do so on their own. "It's much easier for everyone," notes Paone. "People who have moved out of the area can access the system via the web and it frees up reference librarians to answer questions rather than give microfilm intsrtuctions. This is the future of library services," Paone adds.
Three libraries collaborated on the newspaper digitization project: Matawan, Middletown Public Library, and the Monmouth County Public Library System. Paone credits Marty Tannenbaum and the IDI team for keeping the collaboration running smoothly. "We are very satisfied with the results, she says, adding, "there's a good possibility that historical documents relating to Matawan and the surrounding area that we're sorting through now, may become a new digitization project for IDI in the near future."
The Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library was also the site of a successful Digital Memory Media personal digitization workshop in October of this year. Paone was delighted to bring IDI into the library to help patrons preserve their personal histories. "IDI has done great work for us, so I was confident that they would do the same for the general public. DMM allows our patrons to digitize their collections and it helps the library because we get a percentage of the proceeds. It's a win, win, win," says Paone. Because of the positive response to the initial session, another Digital Memory Media workshop is being planned for March or April of 2012.
