Digitizing image collection for the White House Historical Association

Challenge

The White House Historical Association (WHHA) faced the challenge of preserving and making accessible a vast collection of historical photographs documenting major events and daily life in the White House. The physical slides, dating back to the 1960s, were at risk of degradation due to their age and lack of proper storage. Additionally, the digital files generated in the early 2000s were not easily accessible or searchable, limiting their potential use.

DDD’s Solution

To address these challenges, WHHA partnered with Digital Divide Data (DDD) to digitize their image collections. DDD’s team of experts meticulously scanned and processed the physical slides, adding metadata and creating searchable digital files. These files were then optimized and stored on Amazon Glacier cloud storage for long-term preservation. To ensure public access to these unique records, WHHA launched a Digital Library hosted on Amazon Snowball.

Transforming historical images into a searchable, accessible digital library

Impact

The digitization project has ensured the long-term preservation of the White House Historical Association’s valuable photographic collection providing researchers with the history of the White House and American presidency.