Programs and Events

Ambassador Cason with Paraguayan authorities.

U.S. Ambassador James C. Cason attended the presentation of "Saving the Cultural Heritage of the National Library," where the final results of the project were unveiled.  The results of the project included the microfilming and digitization of newspapers of the Paraguayan National Library dating from 1865 to 1900.  The U.S. Embassy in Paraguay, through the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, received a grant of $35,000 for the preservation, conservation and

digitization of these files, a project that the embassy considers of great historical interest.  The Professional Association of Paraguayan Graduates of U.S. colleges and universities (APPG) administered the grant on behalf of the National Library. This initiative will not only ensure that future generations can use these files without fear of its irreparable destruction, but also will be available to any researcher in digital format.  

A team of experts from various public and private organizations, including the National Archives, National Library, Universidad del Norte, and SINTEL SRL (the only company involved in microfilming and digitization in Paraguay), came together to work on this project.  The 30-person team managed to create a database of over 90,000 pages of existing newspapers, relocated newspapers in specially designed spaces for the purpose of conservation, and carried out the microfilming and digitization process with great success.

The U.S. Embassy hopes that many other domestic and foreign organizations will support other aspects of restoring the National Library's collections.