Unveiling Caribbean Voices: Digitization of Newspapers from UF and UPR Collections

Abstract

This article introduces "Film on a Boat," a collaborative project between the University of Florida (UF) and the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (UPR), aimed at digitizing and providing open access to approximately 800,000 pages of Caribbean newspapers. By leveraging unique holdings from both institutions, the completed project contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of Caribbean history, migration patterns, social movements, and cultural dynamics as well as addresses the underrepresentation of the Lesser Antilles in scholarly discourse. Focused on English and Spanish language newspapers from various Caribbean nations, including Puerto Rico, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, the project aims to engage scholars, educators, organizations, and the general public by fostering a more inclusive narrative of Caribbean social history and facilitating innovative digital scholarship. This feature piece will also tell the unique story of how this vital content was saved and collected by a UF librarian traveling the Carribean by boat, and how current library staff have continued those preservation and access efforts to further benefit their patrons today.