Minitex is looking for public libraries with collections of historic images or 1- or 2-page documents (maps, etc.) that would be of sufficient quality and interest to digitize for inclusion in the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA ).
Minitex has been awarded a DPLA grant from the Gates Foundation. The grant will provide training and support for public libraries to participate in DPLA through Minnesota Digital Library (MDL).
Following the parameters of the grant, Minitex will host three training sessions in upcoming months to prepare and enable public libraries to contribute content to the DPLA through the MDL. In these workshops, public library staff will learn how to work with MDL to select content for digitization and/or identify existing digital content and have MDL digitize and provide metadata and contextualization for that content, and determine potential themes for DPLA Exhibitions. The training will be free and costs for scanning and much of the metadata creation will be covered by the grant.
In Minnesota, most local historic and archival collections are held by local historical societies. Minitex needs information about local library resources. Specifically — Does a library have:
- Historic or archival material that would be appropriate for this sort of project?
- A close relationship with the local historical society such that someone from the library might be able to facilitate a collaborative project with the historical society and their materials?
For more information or to suggest a library with historic items to contribute email Carla Urban, at Minitex/MDL or contact her via phone, 612-624-4002 or 800-462-5348.