NTB appoints Kjetil Hasselgård as project manager for the digitization of the historical photo archives of NTB, VG, Aftenposten and Aktuell. It is Norway's largest photo collection with approximately 25 million images documenting Norwegian history.
- I'm looking forward to dusting off the visual gold and forgotten stories that lie in the archive," says Hasselgård.
100 years of press photos to be digitized
Digitizing the images is a prerequisite for making 100 years of press photos available to the public and preserving them for posterity. This will be useful for the media, schools, students, authors, researchers and society in general.
- "With Kjetil Hasselgård as project manager, the enormous task of digitizing our historical image archives has begun," says Joakim Nilsson, head of NTB's image agency.
- The project is important for preserving and highlighting the unique images and stories that are now hidden away in drawers and cupboards. We are very pleased to have Hasselgård in place," Nilsson continues.
- Now the old archive can finally be digitized and made available in NTB's image portal. At the same time, it will benefit the general public through our collaboration with the National Library. I look forward to working with our knowledgeable archivists and establishing an efficient production line in collaboration with the National Library," says Hasselgård.
Kjetil Hasselgård has a broad background in project management, photography and communication. He comes from the position of communications advisor at the Norwegian Cyclists' Association and has previously worked on international projects in Myanmar and as an independent photographer. Hasselgård has also worked with visual consulting and as a photography teacher at the Norwegian Creative College, today Kristiania University College.
Facts about the photo collection
- Norway's largest photo collection with approximately 25 million images.
- Consists of the historical photo archives of NTB, Aftenposten, VG and Aktuell.
- The archives document over 100 years of Norwegian press history - until the end of the 1990s.
- The images show news events, daily life, sports, politics, cultural life, royalty and extensive coverage of life in Norway during World War II.
- The digitization is a collaborative project with the National Library of Norway. The Savings Bank Foundation and Blommenholm Industrier are contributing with funding.
- You will find the images in NTB's image portal - as they are digitized.
- The oldest images are from the late 1800s and will gradually degrade.
- The collection consists of glass plates, slides, negatives and paper copies.
- The archivists who know, work with and actively manage the collection will retire in a few years.
- It is urgent to digitize the collections so that the unique images are available to the public and are not lost to posterity.
Historically large digitization project
NTB has taken the initiative to digitize 25 million photos taken by Norwegian photographers over more than a hundred years.
