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The library’s new Bloomberg Philanthropies grant includes a digital database system set to launch in early 2026.
The Medford Public Library intends to create a digital technology archive of its collection, following authorization from the Medford City Council in late October. An initial portion of the updated archive will be rolled out in early 2026. The project is funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program grant. Jenna Barry, the Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library head of reference indicated that the library has been trying to digitize its materials for some time. “The creation of a digital archive had been something we wanted to do for a long time, and receiving this grant enabled us to make it happen,” Jenna Barry said. “We are so excited that we will be able to digitize all of the materials, because we believe it will allow users to be able to find these resources much easier when things are searchable, findable and viewable online.”
To develop the digital database, Medford Public Library collaborated with AM Quartex, a digital asset management company, who developed the library website and trained staff on uploading and building collections. Jessica Kowalski, associate director of business at AM Quartex, shared her experience working with the library team on the digital project: “Our goal as a company really is to try to decrease barriers to archival research. That can be through publishing collections and distributing them around the world,” Kowalski said. “The goal, more broadly, is to have a tool that’s easy for people to either use or to either promote their visibility of their collections, whether that’s locally or by researchers...from anywhere across the world."
A part of the grant will also go towards implementing an Optional Character Recognition, or OCR service, that will scan physical materials and transfer them into files, which will be incorporated into the new database. The library hopes to eventually scan all of the library's archives through the OCR. In addition to this recent grant, which is specifically for nonprofits, Medford Public Library is also already closely connected to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Medford native, and his family who provided a $3 million donation towards it's building.
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