The Jefferson Public Library recently had a breakthrough and has started converting microfilm into a digital, online format.

Jefferson Library Director Jane Millard says that this project has been in the works for a long time and they are very excited to have the greenlight to make it happen.  The contract was signed with The Advantage Companies in Cedar Rapids at the Board of Trustees meeting in November.  Millard says the reason why they went with Advantage was because they already had a copy of their microfilm in their vault and so it was just a matter of getting the paperwork filled out and the contract signed.

It will be a five month project to scan in all the microfilm and convert it to digital.  Once that’s done, Millard explains that you can essentially go online to Google and search for your family history of Jefferson or maybe you want to see a birth announcement made in the local paper, you will be able to find that.

The initial years that are currently being converted are from 1866-1977.  The only reason why they had to stop at 1977 was because newspapers started to be copyrighted to the editors in 1978.  So once the library finishes the initial scanning of the microfilm up through 1977, Millard will be in contact with the editors of the local newspapers to get the other years converted.

The project will cost $7,275.  The project is slated to be finished by the summer of 2013.