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D-Lib Magazine
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The University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) is aggressively expanding its digital library program. The library's "Digital Collections" page provides entry to a growing online collection of primary sources drawn from UNC's special and general library collections. UNC's first and most established digital collection is Documenting the American South (DocSouth), D-Lib's Featured Collection for November 1999. DocSouth has subsequently grown in size and coverage, but remains true to its original mission of providing the highest quality encoded text, supplemented by explanatory materials and scholarly essays. The newest additions to UNC's digital library went live in July 2006, as pilot projects using the CONTENTdm collection management software. Like DocSouth, the projects focus on collection strengths and rare and unique holdings. However, the emphasis is on presenting primary sources without the extensive contextual and interpretive materials or the deeply encoded text that characterize DocSouth. In selecting these pilots, the library sought projects with clear intellectual merit that could also provide technical and operational challenges. The lessons learned from working with multiple formats and with collections of varying size, condition, and nature are informing the further development of UNC's digital library. The most recent additions are as follows:
Additional projects linked from the digital collections gateway demonstrate the range and variety of the UNC Library's historical collections and the library's commitment to advancing research by bringing the appropriate technologies and expertise to bear. They are as follows:
Finally, the digital collections page provides access to a range of online exhibits. Slavery and the Making of the University is the digital correlate of a well-received exhibition in the library. Audio exhibits provide samples of Hillbilly Music and clips from the Fiddler's Grove Collection. There is also a permanent record of major exhibitions from the Louis Round Wilson Library for special collections. Throughout the expansion of its digital collections, the UNC Library remains committed to open access; compliance with standards; implementation of best practices; and the thoughtful selection, curation, and preservation of digital collections. The library announced in February 2006, its membership in the Open Content Alliance. The first person to head the new Carolina Digital Library program will be appointed this fall. The home page for the Digital Collections at the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is at <http://www.lib.unc.edu/digitalprojects.html>. |
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