The California Local History Digital Resources Project (LHDRP) is a multi-year (2000-present) statewide program that provides a
"solution in a box" for public, academic, and specialized libraries seeking to become conversant with developing digital primary
resource collections. It simultaneously leverages the services of digital library service providers to promote broad public access
to the collections, and manage the collections for the long-term. Annually, through the LSTA program, multiple institutions receive
funding to make metadata and associated digital facsimiles of their collections accessible over the Internet. The process of creating
these resources requires a significant amount of effort, education, experience, and funds. Many LSTA projects have served local needs,
but it is important that the resources created through these efforts are publicly available for the long-term to the citizens
of California.
LHDRP is a collaborative endeavor involving multiple supporting agencies that provide a long-term framework for the program:
Public, academic, and specialized libraries:
o Create, manage, and cultivate local history digital content based on a longer term service plan that seeks to tie user
needs to the collections. Serve as primary contact points for users of the collections.
o May additionally support local access and preservation services to the content.
o Provides overall project coordination.
o Hosts CONTENTdm, a centralized and shared digital collection creation tool used for the project.
o Provides digitization outsourcing assistance to participants with the project's scanning vendor, and general
project oversight.
o Administers a training program for the project via Infopeople,
OCLC and other recognized experts.
o Offers the Califa Digital Collections Service (http://www.califa.org/cdm_info.php), designed to help
institutions transition from grant supported digitization to a self-sustaining model. The fee-based service includes
shared use of Califa's CONTENTdm implementation, and reduced pricing for digitization outsourcing with scanning vendors.
o Provides digital library repository access and preservation services.
o Access services include online delivery of LHDRP content via the
publicly-accessible Calisphere and the
Online Archive of
California websites. Both websites integrate disparate collections -- such as manuscripts, photographs,
and works of art held by institutions across California -- through a single interface and search engine.
Calisphere is targeted to the K-12 teaching community digitized image and text collections; the OAC is targeted to
historians and primary resource users, and features guides (or "finding aids") to archival collections.
o Preservation service comprises storage of LHDRP content in the CDL-managed Merritt repository, designed for the
long-term storage, deposit, dissemination of digital content.
Back to LHDRP main site
Last updated: 5/19/2010
Document owner: LHDRP Collections (tlevy@califa.org)
A project supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services
and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
