The University of Iowa began a digitization project of early sci-fi fanzines in 2015. They rely on outreach to recruit volunteers to help them with this project (they need volunteers for transcription).
Tumblr censored their post…Tumblr’s poorly designed automated filter makes it that much harder for public institutions and universities to recruit volunteers and showcase their collections and preservation work. I have contacted the Hevelin Collection as they are the only ones who can appeal Tumblr’s ban of the 2015 post.
The original post from 2015
Digitization of the Hevelin fanzines is underway!
We are beginning with the earliest fanzines, from the 1930′s-50′s. I took the first stack upstairs last week, and began photographing them with our preservation-quality digital camera and software.
These photos are a little foggy because they were taken in the darkroom in our preservation department. Our wonderful conservators created a special cradle just for the fanzines, built to accommodate all the anomalies specific to the medium, such as old staples, weak spines, and brittle paper. Thus, we can capture preservation-quality images while keeping the physical object safe.
The digital images will be stored on the library’s server. A select group of fans will then transcribe the fanzines, making them text searchable. This way, researchers and fans alike will be able to easily search the material. More information about the transcription project will be available in the months to come.
It is truly exciting to have this massive project underway!!
-Laura H.
My reblog: https://meeedeee.tumblr.com/post/125012601876/hevelincollection-digitization-of-the-hevelin