The Kempner Empire: Establishing Digitization Processes and Workflows for a Large-scale Collection
Abstract
With support from the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund
and the Rosenberg Library, the University of North Texas Digital Projects Unit has taken on the job of digitizing the
Kempner family’s business papers, which span decades. One of Galveston’s most iconic families, the Kempner family
influenced the social and philanthropic landscape of Galveston, and its members created an expansive economic empire.
This presentation will breakdown the procedures created for a collection broken up in yearly batches of roughly
18,000 pages over six years. The project moves through digitization and metadata creation onto the Portal to Texas
History. Providing digitization and international access to the collection is an innovative project, and certainly the
largest project of its type in existence. This collection brings forward interests in farming, banking, business, travel,
exports/imports, and family operations.