[Cdnc] Please support the California Digital Newspaper Collection this Give Day!

[Raymond Holguin]

Dear Friends of the California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC),



Last year, more than 1,000 private donors joined the Office of the Governor
and the State Legislature to support the CNDC in its moment of profound
need. Individual gifts alone exceeded $145,000!

These donations have been essential to the ongoing work of preservation and
access. With the financial support of our donors, in combination with
an ongoing
General Fund allocation
<https://ebudget.ca.gov/2025-26/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/FullBudgetSummary.pdf>
to sustain the California Newspaper Project, we have secured staffing,
restored vendor support and site reliability, purchased new hardware,
enhanced cybersecurity, and completed an urgent backup of data at risk of
permanent loss. A large collection of microfilm reels, some at imminent
risk of deterioration, has been transferred to the University of California
library system for proper cataloguing and storage.

I am writing to you to ask for your continued support.

For 24 hours starting April 7, 2026, friends and supporters of the
University of California, Riverside are coming together for UCR Give Day. I
am reaching out to ask you to invest in the California Digital Newspaper
Collection by making a gift during UCR Give Day. Your gift on April 7-8
will provide ongoing support for the CDNC as we address the path moving
forward to strengthen and preserve the database for generations to come.

Additional accomplishments include restored relations with the National
Digital Newspaper Program <https://www.loc.gov/ndnp/>. We have responded to
inquiries from select county libraries and historical associations across
the State who were dismayed that the project appeared to be on the brink of
going dark. Finally, we have made steady progress on exploring new
partnerships with other California institutions with shared commitments to
open access resources that document the life, history, and culture of the
Golden State.

While the past few months have included some unwelcome and unearned
frustrations among long-time friends and site users, the future of the
California Digital Newspaper Collection is looking bright.

I thank you — our community of genealogists, local historians, academic
researchers, librarians, and fellow Californians  — for patiently and
passionately supporting the project during a rough patch.

As we look towards significant new investments in data backup and
cybersecurity, you are invited to remain at our side working towards
stability, sustainability, and growth.

I extend a warm invitation for you to join me on UCR Give Day, and make an
additional (or perhaps your first!) gift.

Give Now
<https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/61710/donations/new?amt=200.00>



Thank you once again for your engagement and commitment to preserving our
shared rights to a free press.


Warm regards,

Daryle Williams
Professor and Dean
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