PHOENIX, AZ – The Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records (LAPR), in collaboration with the University of Arizona Libraries (UAL), has been awarded a $319,588 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). This grant will support the digitization of 100,000 pages of historical Arizona newspapers, marking the sixth NEH grant awarded to LAPR and the fourth in partnership with UAL.
The Arizona project was chosen for the NEH’s special initiative, American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future, which emphasizes the role of the humanities in addressing contemporary social challenges such as strengthening democracy and advancing equity. By digitizing these newspapers, the project will help researchers and the community explore Arizona’s historical relationship with its natural and built environment, particularly in the context of climate impact.
A key focus of the project is digitizing newspapers from towns along Arizona’s railways and roadways, including those published along the historic Route 66. “The 100th anniversary of Route 66 will be in 2026, so one of our goals is to preserve newspapers from towns along this iconic highway,” said Mary Feeney, News Research Librarian at UAL and co-principal investigator of the project.
All digitized content will be accessible through Chronicling America, the free historical newspaper database hosted by the Library of Congress, providing an invaluable resource for researchers and the public alike.
“We are honored to receive this grant and excited to work with our advisory board to select newspaper titles that reflect over 70 years of Arizona’s history across all 15 counties,” said Asa Espanto, Newspaper Collection Librarian at the State of Arizona Research Library and co-principal investigator.
This project is made possible by the NEH as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program, a collaboration between NEH and the Library of Congress. The digitized newspapers will help preserve Arizona’s rich history for generations to come.
