In this article, we will present a general overview of the newspaper digitization project that has been carried out at the National Library of Spain over the last ten years. In this overview we will address the two major initiatives undertaken by the National Library concerning the management of serial publications, namely microfi lming and digitization, which are particularly focused on newspaper collections. We will fi rst discuss the microfi lming project, which began in 1991 and is still under way. Then we will provide the rationale for the digitization project, briefl y describe the technical process of digitization, and present the outcomes of this project in terms of the two applications that have been made available to users. Finally, we will comment on the benefi ts of these projects for users and will outline developments for the near future.