Ocracoke Observer added to Library of Congress newspaper collections

The Ocracoke Observer, the island’s independent community newspaper since 1999, has been selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress’s National Digital Newspaper Program.

The online link is https://www.loc.gov/ndnp/

The designation means the Observer’s pages will be digitally archived to national standards for researchers, educators and the public worldwide through the Library of Congress website and preserve the paper’s reporting for future generations.

The newspaper’s owners, co-publishers and editorial board are Connie Leinbach, editor, and Peter Vankevich. They purchased the paper from Linda Rippe Buck in March 2014. Tom Yocum and Dawn Church founded the newspaper.

“Few places in North Carolina have seen so many important events in the state’s history–from Blackbeard’s death to the devastating effects of 21st century storms–as Ocracoke. So it is great news that the Observer will be preserved for future residents, historians, and all lovers of the island,” said Andrew Lawler, an American journalist, bestselling author and long-time visitor to Ocracoke.

The National Digital Newspaper Program is a partnership led by the Library of Congress and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

It works with state-level projects to identify, digitize and preserve newspapers that document the social, cultural and political life of communities across the United States.

Inclusion helps ensure long-term preservation and broad access to local journalism that might otherwise be vulnerable to loss through age, storms or shifting technologies.

“As any writer of history or historical fiction will tell you, the value of local community news being preserved in the National Digital Newspaper Program can be the difference between a detailed, vivid, genuine portrait of the times as people lived it and a gaping hole in American history,” said Marie Arana, author, historian and inaugural literary director of the Library of Congress.

The announcement follows the Observer’s earlier selection last spring for inclusion in the North Carolina Digital Newspaper collections, a statewide initiative that aggregates and shares newspapers from across North Carolina through partner libraries and archives.

“As someone who has long admired the work of the Ocracoke Observer, I couldn’t be more proud to see their journalism preserved in both the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and now the Library of Congress,” said Phil Lucey, NC Press Association executive director. “The Observer is more than a newspaper—it’s a lifeline for its island community and a reminder of just how vital strong local news truly is.

“We’re grateful to count the Ocracoke Observer as a valued award-winning member of the North Carolina Press Association, and I’m thrilled to see their stories—and the voices of Ocracoke—recognized and safeguarded for future generations.” 

Digital preservation brings practical benefits beyond storage.

Researchers will be able to explore community responses to severe weather, track local government actions, study the island’s economy and cultural traditions and follow the evolution of public services and infrastructure over more than two decades. Genealogists and family historians will gain easier access to obituaries, announcements and community reports that are often difficult to locate in print.

 “What a legacy the Observer has achieved, in bringing the only active print news source in Hyde County to the eyes of the world,” said Dr. Kaye Dotson, part-time islander and Associate Professor Emerita, Library Science, East Carolina University, College of Education. “Connie Leinbach and Peter Vankevich deserve accolades for bringing this to fruition, increasing access to this unique body of literature and information.”

For small newspapers, digitization can be a lifeline, protecting fragile back issues and extending their reach well beyond the circulation area.

The Observer’s inclusion highlights the role that independent, community-based journalism plays in documenting American life at the local level and ensures that Ocracoke’s voice is part of the national historical record.