Safeguarding Generations of Genealogical Records
With a mission to preserve the lives and legacies of the county’s past, the organization has grown tremendously, thanks to the dedication of its all-volunteer team, including educators, engineers, and passionate historians.
“We’re committed to preserving and organizing source materials and artifacts tied to the genealogical history of Perry County and surrounding areas,” explained Steve Metzger, Financial Secretary and longtime volunteer. “But with that growth comes challenges, especially when it comes to storage and preservation.”
The First Step: Microfilm Conversion Success
The organization first partnered with Higher Information Group to digitally convert historical documents from microfilm to PDF/A format. That initial project involved newspapers and a myriad of records – some of them handwritten from funeral homes, churches, county tax assessments, etc. The project went smoothly and gave the team confidence in HIG’s capabilities, professionalism, and attention to detail.
The Challenge: Fragile Newspapers & Limited Space
Among the organization’s most irreplaceable resources were thousands of pages of historical newspapers, some dating back to the 1800s. Many of these publications weren’t available anywhere else, not even through popular online archives.
Despite having a climate-controlled facility, space was tight, and concerns about the physical degradation of these fragile documents continued to grow. The Historians knew it was time to act before valuable records were lost forever.
The Solution: Local Scanning Services That Delivered Peace of Mind
As they evaluated vendors, Steve and the team received multiple quotes. One option required them to ship the materials out of state using a third-party carrier, a dealbreaker when dealing with one-of-a-kind historical artifacts.
“When you’re talking about documents this old and irreplaceable, handing them over to a 3rd party mailer just isn’t an option,” Steve explained. “We really appreciated that Higher Information Group was local and could personally pick up the materials for scanning. That sealed the deal for us.”
The Perry Historians entrusted HIG with the careful digitization of nearly 4,000 pages of rare newspapers. The documents were scanned as multi-page PDF/A files, fully OCR searchable, and indexed by date of publication, ensuring current and future generations can quickly and easily access the information.
The Results: A Cleaner Archive, Easier Research & Long-Term Preservation
Thanks to this successful project, The Perry Historians have reclaimed valuable storage space and, more importantly, can rest easily knowing these fragile newspapers are preserved in high-quality digital format.
“Many of our board members still can’t believe how clear and clean the scanned images are,” Steve shared. “This is going to make research so much easier for the individuals who come to use our library. And we no longer have to worry about the documents degrading any further.”
Every step of the process went smoothly, and Steve says the HIG team answered every question along the way. “I would recommend HIG to anyone considering converting old documents to scanned images, and I already have,” said Steve. “If you want to work with a local company that provides good service, work with HIG.”
