Case Study — Digitization Work
Inside a cross-institutional project to digitize over 10,000 California local government documents and make them freely available to the public for the first time.
"The most transformative work happens where institutions, technology, and people converge. That's where new processes get built, trust gets established, and knowledge starts to move."
Nick Norman
Documentary Short
Produced in collaboration with the IGS Communications Team — Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley
The Work
The LoCALDig project is a multi-year initiative funded by the State of California, bringing together UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies Library, the California State Library, UCLA Young Research Library, and the Internet Archive to digitize more than 10,000 local government publications spanning cities, counties, and regional agencies across California.
Nick contributed across technical, operational, and community dimensions. Using high-resolution cameras and archival workstations, he digitized rare historical documents and religious texts at two university sites, developed repeatable strategies for handling complex materials including oversized maps and difficult lighting conditions, and participated in joint alignment meetings between Internet Archive and UC Berkeley staff.
He also served as an early pilot technician for the Internet Archive's microfiche scanning program at SF headquarters, testing prototype machinery and providing feedback that helped scale the program globally. Beyond his technical contributions, he collaborated within a distributed global community of archive technicians to build collective expertise and standardize best practices.
The result is a collection that makes it possible for anyone, anywhere, to examine the core documents of California local governance, from 1904 to the present, many of which were never before available in digital form.
Coverage & Recognition
UC Berkeley's feature profile on Nick's digitization work, philosophy, and approach to responsible digital archiving.
Read Profile Award — Internet Archive BlogInternet Archive recognition for Nick's contributions to responsible technology and digital preservation.
Read Announcement Timeline — UC Berkeley IGSThe full project timeline produced by UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies, featuring Nick's contributions.
View Timeline Milestone — UC Berkeley IGSThe project reached one million pages digitized in March 2026, documenting decades of California local governance.
Read Milestone Milestone — UC Berkeley IGSMarking a major milestone in the digitization of California local government monographs gathered between 1975 and 2008.
Read Milestone Launch — UC Berkeley IGSThe public launch of the California Local Government Documents Collection, now freely available at the Internet Archive.
Read LaunchProject Milestones
What began as a pilot program in 2022 has grown into one of the most comprehensive digital archives of California local government documents ever assembled, with more than 15,000 items targeted for digitization.
Project begins. Nick joins as an Internet Archive technician and scribe, contributing to the cross-institutional partnership between IA, UC Berkeley IGS Library, and the Graduate Theological Union.
R&D Pilot. Serves as an early pilot technician for the Internet Archive's microfiche scanning program at SF headquarters, testing prototype machinery to help scale the program globally.
Collection goes live. The LoCALDig collection launches on the Internet Archive, with over 2,000 items available to the public for the first time.
1,000th item digitized. The combined Internet Archive and UC Berkeley team celebrates the milestone across Zoom and in person.
Anthem Award. Nick receives the 2024 Anthem Community Voice Award for Best Use of Technology, recognized by the Internet Archive for setting new industry standards in responsible digital archiving.
5,000th item digitized. The collection surpasses 5,000 documents, covering more than 450 California cities and all 58 counties.
6,000+ items. The collection continues to grow, expanding into serial publications including city budgets, climate action reports, and regional planning documents.
One million pages. The project reaches its most significant milestone: one million pages digitized, with over 7,400 items in the collection and a target of more than 15,000.
Partner Organizations
Recognition
"My goal is to use my expertise in community engagement and building partnerships to draw attention to meaningful work, such as what we're doing here."
Nick Norman — Internet Archive Blog
The Anthem Awards honor mission-driven individuals, companies, and organizations worldwide inspiring global change. Nick's submission essay, Scanning the Past to Empower the Future, was recognized in the Responsible Technology category for setting new industry standards in digital preservation.
Read the Internet Archive announcementAnthem Community Voice Award
🏆Best Use of Technology
4th Annual Anthem Awards