Newspaper is inherently prone to degradation. It is printed on cheap acidic paper which was not originally intended for the same length of use as a book. As discussed in the introduction, because of this, newspapers typically age quickly which can include yellowing, embrittlement of paper and fading of inks. The fragility of newspapers often means that conservation treatment by paper conservator (which may include neutralizing or reducing inherent acidity) and/or reformatting may be necessary. Conservation treatment can be prohibitively expensive, but fortunately, reformatting is an option in most circumstances.
Reformatting options include preservation photocopying, preservation microfilming, and digitization. For institutions where access is usually a primary objective, digitization of newspapers can sometimes mean digitizing newspaper microfilm. Preservation microfilming is an economical and proven option to preserve the intellectual content of newspapers on a large scale. "Preservation microfilming" is distinguished from microfilming by adherence to published standards for all aspects of the creation, maintenance, and storage of the film and assumes strict bibliographic control. If contracting for preservation microfilming services, the service provider should have proven experience with preservation microfilming projects. Preservation microfilming has the advantage of providing stable, long-term storage that is less prone to file corruption and loss of means to read a certain file type.
For personal newspaper collections and newspaper clippings, digitization following digitization guidelines used for manuscripts and similar cultural heritage materials makes more sense.
Never feed an original newspaper through a copier automatically! This could badly damage the newspaper. It is better to lay your newspaper flat on the scanning bed and only press down with your hands. Additionally, it is not advisable to display original newspapers in non-museum conditions. If you want to display your newspaper, consider making a copy of it using a large format color copier or scanner without pressing on the document heavily and displaying that instead to avoid overexposure to light.
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) External, maintains an online directory for finding a conservator by specialty and geographic location and provides information on how to choose a conservator. In addition, AIC also offers guidelines for the care of collections beyond library materials.
