Mountain West Digital Library
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| Mountain West Digital Library | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mountain West Digital Library |
| Established | 2005 |
| Type | Digital consortium |
| Location | Western United States |
| Collection size | Millions of digital objects |
Mountain West Digital Library is a regional digital library consortium that aggregates digital collections from libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage institutions across the Intermountain West. The consortium facilitates access to digitized historical newspapers, photographs, maps, oral histories, and government documents by partnering with state libraries, universities, and cultural organizations to provide centralized discovery across diverse holdings.
History
The consortium emerged in the early 2000s amid initiatives such as the Library of Congress's National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, the National Endowment for the Humanities digital projects, and statewide digitization efforts led by institutions like Utah State Library, Arizona State Library, and Wyoming State Archives. Initial pilots drew support from programs associated with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, collaborations with the Digital Public Library of America, and technical guidance influenced by projects at University of California, Los Angeles, University of Utah, and Brigham Young University. Over time the consortium expanded through partnerships with major repositories including the Smithsonian Institution, New York Public Library, and regional partners such as Montana State University, Colorado State University, and University of Nevada, Reno, reflecting trends in digitization policy following standards developed by the National Information Standards Organization and the Open Archives Initiative.
Organization and Governance
The consortium operates as a cooperative network of contributing institutions including state historical societies like the Nebraska State Historical Society, academic libraries such as University of Arizona, and municipal archives like the Salt Lake City Public Library. Governance models have drawn on board structures similar to the Association of Research Libraries and incorporate advisory committees with representatives from entities such as the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators and the American Library Association. Operational oversight involves partnerships with regional hubs modeled after consortia like HathiTrust and uses memoranda of understanding patterned on agreements by the National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress National Digital Library Program.
Collections and Content
Aggregated content encompasses digitized newspapers comparable to titles hosted by the Chronicling America project, photograph collections akin to holdings at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, manuscript materials like those at the Bancroft Library, and specialized collections from institutions such as the Nevada Historical Society, Idaho State Historical Society, Montana Historical Society, Oregon Historical Society, and New Mexico State University. Thematic collections include frontier-era documents related to the Transcontinental Railroad, maps associated with the Bureau of Land Management, oral histories recorded by projects affiliated with Smithsonian Folkways and university oral history programs at University of Colorado Boulder and University of Wyoming, and digitized government publications produced by state legislatures and territorial administrations. Holdings also feature photographs from photographers represented in the Getty Research Institute, rare books comparable to items at the Newberry Library, and ephemera similar to collections at the American Antiquarian Society.
Technology and Infrastructure
The technical platform leverages metadata standards and harvesting protocols influenced by the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting and uses administrative practices aligned with the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative and MODS schema. Infrastructure components mirror solutions employed by the Digital Public Library of America, including aggregation workflows, content management systems used at institutions like DuraSpace partners, and search technologies similar to Apache Solr and ElasticSearch deployments at major repositories such as Europeana. Preservation practices correspond to guidance from the National Digital Stewardship Alliance and archival workflows echo standards promulgated by the Society of American Archivists and the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.
Services and Programs
Public-facing services include a centralized discovery portal influenced by interfaces developed by the Digital Public Library of America and metadata enrichment activities comparable to programs at the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Outreach and education programs have partnered with state humanities councils such as the Utah Humanities and projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Training and capacity-building workshops for digitization best practices mirror offerings by the Society of American Archivists and university continuing education programs at institutions like University of Arizona and University of Utah, while crowdsourcing initiatives draw on models used by the Smithsonian Transcription Center and Zooniverse.
Partnerships and Funding
The consortium sustains operations through grants and partnerships with federal funders including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and cooperative agreements with regional agencies such as state libraries and historical societies including the Montana Historical Society, Idaho State Historical Society, and New Mexico State Library. Collaborative relationships extend to academic partners such as Brigham Young University, University of Nevada, Reno, and Utah State University, as well as national infrastructures exemplified by the Digital Public Library of America and technical collaborators like DuraSpace and commercial vendors used by university systems. Funding streams combine competitive grants, institutional contributions modeled on those used by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and project-based support following practices at the Council on Library and Information Resources.