I have my great grandfather's diary he kept in his knapsack in the trenches during World War One on the Western front. I have the original (~102 years old), and would like to digitize this. I am attempting to find a museum that can digitize it correctly without damaging it (I was told that using a traditional scanner can damage old documents, makes sense). However, I have contacted a few museums (the National Infantry Museum and U.S. Army Heritage & Educational Center) and they have told me they are unable to digitize the document or unwilling. If any of you know of any place I can digitize the diary & donate the digitization/original, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it.
Also, I am currently in the Southeastern United States.
I would talk with a curator of manuscripts at a Special Collections library near you. I can't speak for all special collections libraries, but they may be able to assist you in digitization and preservation tips of the original as well as a possible repository if you wish to donate the original. Many of the SEC schools and other major universities will have Special Collections as part of their library systems.
Is there an archives in where you live? Government or religious/institutional? They might have the equipment or an opinion. You could also try military service groups or legion.
I applaud you for making the effort. I’d hate to have these kinds of primary research documents disappear with time.