Our History, Digitized
How an important gift amplifies diverse voices and increases access to UIC's Library System Special Collections department
Unlocking Archive Access Heading link
Rare books, manuscripts and historical papers have been tucked away for decades at the UIC Library System Special Collections department until now.
As primary sources for students and researchers at UIC and around the globe, these documents piece together our diverse and rich history.
So how has the UIC Library increased access to this significant archive?
Electronic Evolutions Heading link
Enter the Single Step Foundation Digital Imaging Studio, made possible by a generous gift from Herbert Paaren BS ’71, MS ’73, Ph.D. ’76 and Denise Marino.
Their investment in cutting-edge technology renders UIC’s preservation capabilities equivalent to the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress.
State-of-the-art digital cameras improve the integrity of captured images while increasing digitization output by over 1,000%.
Meanwhile, new Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software rapidly converts digitized text documents into searchable data, and a digital asset management system facilitates access for researchers.
Documents and photos that were once catalogued and boxed away are now available online for future generations.
In just days, a hidden rare tome becomes available to all at the click of a button.
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An idea, a protest, a march, a movement … library digitization preserves the events of the past and transforms them for future impact.
| Dean of Libraries
