Sidelines and Midlander preserved

Old issues of Sidelines and Midlanders have been preserved for years to come.

The Special Collections department of Walker Library has been retaining issues of Sidelines, the MTSU student newspaper, covering 1938 to present. Because of the fragile nature of newsprint paper, the earliest issues were in a brittle, poor condition and were literally falling apart.

Copies were held in a climate controlled area and access was restricted because handling further damaged the issues. A project to have the newspapers microfilmed began last year and has now been completed. Preservation-quality microfilm is predicted to last 500 years. Over 34,000 pages of Sidelines are now available in microfilm in Walker Library’s 2nd floor Digital Media Studio area. The next step is to have the issues digitized and made available online.

Midlander yearbooks (1938—2004) have already been digitized and can be accessed through the MTSU Memory Collection. Also take a look at other library digital collections.