Making the
Inaccessible
Accessible

The LoCALDig project is a multi-year initiative funded by the State of California. It brings 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.

Using high-resolution cameras and archival workstations, Nick digitized rare historical documents and religious texts at two Internet Archive partner sites: UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies Library and the Graduate Theological Union. He also developed repeatable strategies for handling complex materials, including oversized maps and difficult lighting conditions, and took part in joint alignment meetings between Internet Archive and UC Berkeley staff.

Before moving into book digitization, Nick served as the first operator in an Internet Archive microfiche pilot at its San Francisco headquarters, testing prototype equipment while digitizing United States Supreme Court materials. Working between the scanning process and the developers and engineers improving it, he translated the operator's experience into practical feedback about how the system performed. The one-person pilot later developed into a dedicated microfiche scanning center with five active stations.

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.