Technology

Preservation through digital archive creation, and the ability to access archival materials plays a major role in how we understand the past. However, the selection of what is protected, maintained, and accessible is not always equitable, particularly when preservation and access in a digital environment requires technical infrastructure and expertise that may seem mysterious, and equipment that is not accessible financially, or through proximity to a large institution with greater resources.

In order to ensure that small and rural communities have the opportunity to share and preserve their stories and local history, the Colorado State Library (CSL) is excited to offer digital creation kits to libraries and cultural heritage organizations that wish to participate in the Plains to Peaks Collective (PPC), and by extension the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), but don’t have the funds to purchase digitization equipment, and/or don’t have a long-term need for it. Kit contents are designed to make archive creation more accessible, and give our communities the resources they need to begin sharing their stories digitally.

Beyond preservation and access, making your digital collections available online is beneficial to your organization and community because it can:

• Increase traffic to your collections and therefore your institution
• Build a community around individual collections
• Establish a platform for underrepresented groups
• Place your institution on the same playing field as others