Aims and objectives
The objectives of EAP1371 were to digitise, catalogue and index 4,938 items from 19 Nicaraguan newspapers published during the first half of the 20th century. This material formed part of the permanent collection at the Institute of History of Nicaragua and Central America (IHNCA) at the University of Central America (UCA). The university made a considerable effort to preserve this collection but were met with financial constraints. With the support of an EAP grant, this project proposed to preserve, digitise and disseminate these invaluable documents, contributing to research on modern Nicaraguan history and society.
The newspapers provide insight into the daily life for Nicaraguans outside of the capital. The documents offer novel information for historians of this era, chronicling everyday events in regions outside the centre of economic and political power (the Atlantic, North and Pacific areas of the country). Despite the valuable information on Nicaraguan history contained in these documents, their contribution to national historiographical production has been limited, leaving notable gaps in the understanding of the past. Since their publication, they have been exposed to a variety of risks including social conflicts, environmental catastrophes, natural deterioration and groups in power interested in manipulating historiographical production.
Outcomes
In total, 5,658 items from 104 Nicaraguan newspapers were digitised, resulting in 25,128 files. This quantity is greater than the intended goal of digitising 4,938 items. The physical items themselves were stored in an organised manner according to their titles and publication dates, housed within metal filing cabinets and located in climate-controlled rooms. Currently, the fate of these files is unknown and the digital material is the only available research source. The EAP project could not have been more well-timed. The institution UCA, including the INHCA archives, has since been shut down, confirming the concerns about the material's endangerment. Having copies on virtual servers outside the country has prevented potential loss of this material.
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El IHNCA-UCA ha constituido un referente singular en Nicaragua, cuya hemeroteca ha custodiado numerosos periódicos de la primera mitad del siglo XX. La importancia histórica de estos periódicos es singular debido a la escasez de material documental de esa época, particularmente del Caribe y otros lugares de impresión, así como la falta de bibliotecas que faciliten acceso a este tipo de materiales para el desarrollo de investigaciones sobre Nicaragua. A pesar de la valiosa información sobre la historia nicaragüense que albergan estos documentos, su aporte a la producción historiográfica nacional ha sido limitado, dejando notables lagunas en el conocimiento del pasado. Desde su publicación, han estado expuestos a riesgos por desastres derivados de conflictos sociales o catástrofes ambientales que han devastado el país, al deterioro natural propio de los materiales antiguos y, en particular, a grupos de poder interesados en manipular la producción historiográfica. Los sucesos que condujeron a la confiscación de la UCA y la consiguiente ocultación del patrimonio documental custodiado por el IHNCA se inscriben en este último tipo de riesgos. Durante la realización del proyecto EAP1371, se digitalizaron 5,658 ejemplares de 104 periódicos nicaragüenses, publicados en distintas ciudades del Atlántico, Norte y Pacífico de Nicaragua, totalizando 25,128 imágenes digitalizadas y superando el objetivo inicial de 4,938 ejemplares (21,985 imágenes). Por lo tanto, el material digitalizado y disponible en línea constituye, por el momento, la única fuente de investigación accesible.
