Small Town Papers, Inc.
Local company SmallTownPapers (yes, one word) has launched a website that promises to digitally protect the very root of everything we hold true--that is, America's small town newspapers. The company's goal is to create a searchable database--in some cases, going back to the 1800s--of these papers, as well as preserving the papers' actual looks. As Seattlest is a longstanding fan of the police logs of small-town papers, this could well be a treasure trove.
Some of the gems (in name at least) featured at launch include the Trammel Trace Tribune of Tatum, Texas and the Drumright Gusher of Drumright, Oklahoma.
It seems to work simply--the company subscribes to the paper by mail and scans in the paper. Then, using OCR technology, they create their searchable database. We do wish they'd take the mailing label off the paper before they scanned it, as it takes a little magic out of it. The interface is a little clumsy, and the search function could use some refining.
But there really is magic there. We can't tell you what we were searching for (for no good reason other than we forgot), but this afternoon we got caught up in reading the March 1960 bowling scores in the Brewster, WA, Herald-Reporter. You'll be pleased to know that in the Engineers League, the Spoilers, Bowlnicks, and Tumblepins led the league, with the Manglers, Steamrollers, and Pinokers bringing up the rear. Betty Henton's 201 was the high game for the ladies. Then we flipped to the next page, snickered at a cartoon and giggled at a supermarket's ad for "Lenten Specials" (hosted by a fish, natch). The TV listings! The crossword puzzle! The Hi-Fi Club is keeping teens from becoming juvenile delinquents! All of a sudden we forgot that our job description did not include "wandering through old newspapers."
And there it is in a nutshell: it may not revolutionize newspapering. It may not actually protect America's heritage. But it certainly reminded us of hours in the college library spent in the microfiche zone, zoned out on old-time newspapers. An extraordinary procrastination tool.
