Digital Public Library of America http://dp.la/info Tue, 19 Aug 2014 19:03:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.1 Version 3.1 of the DPLA Metadata Application Profile (MAP) now available! http://dp.la/info/2014/08/12/map-v3-1/ http://dp.la/info/2014/08/12/map-v3-1/#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2014 17:30:09 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15603 The DPLA is pleased to announce an update to the Metadata Application Profile (MAP). The DPLA MAP is the basis for how data is structured and validated in DPLA, and guides how data is stored, serialized, and made available through our API in JSON-LD. The MAP is based on the Europeana Data Model (EDM), and integrates the experience and specific needs for aggregating the data of America’s cultural heritage institutions.

The newest version, 3.1, is now available at http://dp.la/info/developers/map/.

Changes to the MAP include the addition of three new properties (Genre, Standardized Rights Statement, and Intermediate Provider), requirement adjustments to existing properties, and better descriptions and indications of property relationships to the DPLA API structure. To help guide new users of the MAP v3.1, the document also indicates which properties are required and which display in the DPLA front-end portal.

We’re providing a summarized list of changes here; the full list of changes is available on page 10 of the MAP document.

  • Added JSON-LD expressions for data as represented in DPLA repository and API.
  • Revised usage notes for Provider and Data Provider, and added an Intermediate Provider property.
  • Clarified range and superproperty declarations and revised obligations for several properties.
  • Updated value origination field throughout document to provide guidance about value formats and entity responsible for providing the value.
  • Added “Genre” property to Source Resource.
  • Added “Standardized Rights Statement” property to Web Resource and Aggregation
  • Added indicators for required fields and fields that display in the DPLA portal.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge and offer our deep appreciation to the many people who provided input to and review of this document.


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Summer of Archives: Historical Cats http://dp.la/info/2014/08/11/summer-of-archives-historical-cats/ http://dp.la/info/2014/08/11/summer-of-archives-historical-cats/#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:19:14 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15639 Yup, cats. Good ol’ cats. This week’s installment in our Summer of Archives series is all about our fuzzy feline friends, fount of cuteness for millennia. In case you missed it, last Friday, August 8, was International Cat Day, which you can belatedly celebrate (or relive!) by checking out the newest album.


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Rachel Frick to Join the Digital Public Library of America as Business Development Director http://dp.la/info/2014/08/07/rachel-frick-to-join-the-digital-public-library-of-america-as-business-development-director/ http://dp.la/info/2014/08/07/rachel-frick-to-join-the-digital-public-library-of-america-as-business-development-director/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:26:06 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15623 August 7, 2014 – For Immediate Release

BOSTON, MA, AND WASHINGTON, DC—The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced today that the Director of the Digital Library Federation (DLF), Rachel Frick, will join DPLA as its Business Development Director. DLF is a program of CLIR, and coordinates a large and diverse community of practitioners to help create innovative and widely useful digital resources such as DPLA. Prior to her tenure at CLIR/DLF, Frick held senior positions at the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the University of Richmond, among other roles. She is widely known in the library, archive, and museum world for her vision, organizational know-how, and commitment to open culture. She served as the co-chair of DPLA’s Content Committee during its initial planning phase.

Rachel2014_hires_crop“Adding someone with Rachel’s intelligence, insight, and connections to DPLA’s staff in this critical role of the Business Development Director is a tremendous boost to DPLA, and she knows our mission well from having been a leader during our inception. Personally, I have watched and admired Rachel’s work over the last decade, and greatly look forward to working closely with her to help DPLA reach a sustainable future,” said Dan Cohen, DPLA’s Executive Director. “Moreover, Rachel’s transition from DLF to DPLA will help to strengthen the collaboration between DPLA and CLIR, an organization in the vanguard of the library and information world.”

“Rachel’s astute leadership and acumen evolved DLF into a vital national organization where fundamentally important ideas can be translated into practical application for the benefit of higher education,” said CLIR President Chuck Henry. “Her appointment at DPLA is a logical extension of the compelling programs and projects she has developed at DLF, and we all look forward to a continuing collaboration in support of the broader public good.”

“I am looking forward to contributing to DPLA’s strategic mission, the challenge of ensuring its sustainability and forging extensive new relationships in order to build DPLA’s visibility, impact, and financial resources,” said Rachel Frick. “DPLA is an amazing and inspirational effort that I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of.”

Frick will begin work at DPLA on September 2, 2014. CLIR and DPLA will coordinate activities for a smooth and collaborative transition, including DLF’s upcoming annual Forum. In addition, the organizations plan to work together more closely given their shared missions.

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About the Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America (http://dp.la) strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. Since launching in April 2013, it has aggregated over 7.4 million items from over 1,300 institutions. The DPLA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit.

About the Council on Library and Information Resources
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning. For more information about CLIR, visit http://www.clir.org/.

About the Digital Library Federation
The Digital Library Federation (DLF) is a robust and diverse community of practitioners who advance research, teaching and learning through the application of digital library research, technology and services. DLF is a resource and catalyst for collaboration among digital library developers, project managers, and all who are invested in digital library issues.The Digital Library Federation program serves its parent organization, the Council on Library and Information Resources as the place where strategy informs practice. Through DLF programs and support, the program connects CLIR’s vision and research agenda to our active practitioner network. For more information about DLF, visit http://www.diglib.org/.


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A Bridge to Some, Where Unexpected: DPLA transports you to northern Minnesota http://dp.la/info/2014/08/05/bridge-to-somewhere-unexpected/ http://dp.la/info/2014/08/05/bridge-to-somewhere-unexpected/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2014 05:00:10 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15273 Aerial Bridge: Design for Suspended Car Transfer Over Ship Canal, Duluth, Minnesota, 1901-02. Turner, C. A. P. (Claude). University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections.

Aerial Bridge: Design for Suspended Car Transfer Over Ship Canal, Duluth, Minnesota, 1901-02. Turner, C. A. P. (Claude). University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections.

The following post reflects Patricia Maus’s experience as the representative of a contributing institution to the Minnesota Digital Library, a DPLA service hub.

In 2004, I immediately accepted the Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) first-round invitation to digitize 750 photographs held in the collections at University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library. No arm twisting was required. Photographs are always needed by researchers, and providing access to and copies of photographs always swallows up an archivist’s time. My time investment up-front would result in digitally accessible resources, eliminating researchers’ travel and replacing their collection guesswork with precision. Researchers view digital items and readily determine if they are germane to their work. This was an initial step away from full-serve to self-serve.
Leap forward to MDL holdings scooped into DPLA in 2013. For me, nearly 3,500 items and multi-paged documents (including original architectural drawings of the 1904 aerial bridge–the first of two such bridges on the planet) were immediately self-serve and more widely accessible to a greater audience.

Aerial Lift Bridge: Night view, Duluth, Minnesota, ca.1965. Gallagher, Louis P., 1875-1945. University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections.

Aerial Lift Bridge: Night view, Duluth, Minnesota, ca.1965. Gallagher, Louis P., 1875-1945. University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections.

In 2011, the University of Minnesota Duluth adjusted its campus goals to a focus on quality undergraduate education, which resulted in me “burning” two bridges that did not lead to academic research. First, since the DPLA’s launch, I have deliberately redirected genealogists and casual archives users to two resources. I say something like “You are so fortunate” or “I am so pleased to offer a remarkable new resource…” I redirect local people first to our excellent local public libraries. Second, I redirect locals and everyone else to the DPLA. People express their enthusiasm! I am thrilled! People who simply want to browse photographs (for fun) can do so for hours (for days!) without me having to transport a single box to the archives’ reading room and allow me to focus my energies on the UMD campus goal.

Let me set the quaint scene for you. The city of Duluth–a gem in beauty and quality–is located at the western-most tip of Lake Superior, a reasonable distance from nearly all traffic routes. People must deliberately go out of their way to come to Duluth. This distance is a hindrance that has been practically eliminated with the DPLA. People’s expectations of electronic access to resources every minute of every day–at the person’s convenience–is the DPLA advantage in a nutshell (does anyone say that anymore?). The DPLA extends my archives’ reach to a world-wide swath of educators, students, and the public who cannot or will not travel to Duluth. The DPLA is energy efficient!

Aerial Lift Bridge: Duluth Civic Center; Priley Fountain and Mall Dedication, Duluth, Minnesota, September 1971. Goodsell, Elizabeth Jo, 1924-2006. University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections.

Aerial Lift Bridge: Duluth Civic Center; Priley Fountain and Mall Dedication, Duluth, Minnesota, September 1971. Goodsell, Elizabeth Jo, 1924-2006. University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections.

Duluth stretches like a slim ribbon for 23 miles along Lake Superior’s shore, but there is also Skyline Parkway far above the lake providing an expansive miles-and-miles view toward the urban East. Duluth enlarged gradually by melding 13 adjacent towns; many persist as neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are captured in photographs. In some areas, the landscapes have changed little since the 1870s. People using online textual resources are no longer puzzled by local phrases like “past Hunter’s Park,” “up the hill,” “down by the lake,” “beyond Lester, or “out in Fond du Lac.” Using metadata, we cluster images of neighborhoods and a sense of place emerges. There is an ongoing interest in Duluth as a town built on a hillside with quantities of green space, expansive parks, networks of creeks and trails, as well as Lake Superior, making it unique in Minnesota. Visitors to the DPLA visit here virtually and see just what makes Duluth so physically different that people want to see Duluth–deliberately. DPLA could mean Deliberate Public Library of America. I am deliberately sending people to the DPLA, and it returns the favor.

Featured image credit: Wholesale District of Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota, 1924. McKenzie, Hugh, 1879-1957. University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections via the Minnesota Digital Library.


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Report from the Public Library Partnerships Project Workshops http://dp.la/info/2014/07/31/report-from-the-public-library-partnerships-project-workshops/ http://dp.la/info/2014/07/31/report-from-the-public-library-partnerships-project-workshops/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2014 16:57:30 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15485 In April 2014, after research and planning, the Public Library Partnerships Project team started to convene one-day workshops for public librarians interested in digitization. Each hub—Digital Commonwealth, Digital Library of Georgia, Minnesota Digital Library, and Mountain West Digital Library—gave a workshop in the spring. We then met as group to discuss the curriculum and make necessary changes for the later workshops. We also relied on feedback from participants in the first workshops and the survey and informal feedback they had offered about their experiences. Since that meeting, we’ve continue to give workshops: so far eight more with an additional five scheduled through the end of September.

Participants
Our hubs have done a terrific job of getting the word out in their states and recruiting fabulous participants. Workshops have catalyzed lots of great discussion about local content and ideas for collaboration with other local history groups (historical societies, museums, and more). We have had a terrific time getting to know the PLPP participants and look forward to working with them as the project progresses.

This map shows the 80 or so institutions that have participated in PLPP’s first eight workshops. We will update it as we continue.

Remaining PLPP workshops:

  • 8/6/2014, Digital Library of Georgia at Live Oak Public Libraries, Savannah, Georgia
  • 8/28/2014, Mountain West Digital Library at Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • 9/9/2014, Mountain West Digital Library at Weber State University Library, Ogden, Utah
  • 9/16/2014, Minnesota Digital Library at Detroit Lakes Public Library, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
  • 9/30/2014, Digital Library of Georgia at East Central Georgia Regional Library System HQ, Augusta, Georgia

Digital Commonwealth, working with the Boston Public Library Digital Services team, has finished all of its workshops for the project. We’re so pleased with their mighty efforts, and the mighty efforts of the three hubs still in workshop mode, to include institutions from across their state.

Curriculum and Feedback
The curriculum we’ve designed strikes a balance between two important goals:

1) To give participants a fundamental understanding of the digitization process, including content selection, copyright considerations, scanning and imaging, and metadata creation, while highlighting best practices

2) To connect participants to resources for further information and assistance, particularly via digitization service providers in their own states

Staff members from the four hubs were indispensable to the PLPP curriculum design process because of their experience with digitization training and their deep knowledge of the specific institutions in their states. With their input, the workshops in each state varied in their specific discussion of resources while sharing a common flow of curriculum modules. PLPP workshops are all done in one eight-hour day, which challenges us to convey a large amount of information in a concise and engaged way, but respects the staffing/leave and travel constraints for many public librarians.

In June, we collectively met to collectively propose some changes to the shared curriculum. For a number of modules, particularly copyright, scanning, and metadata, we wanted to adjust the balance of rich information with an emphasis on workflows and next steps. Participants had suggested in surveys that these modules were some of the most useful so we wanted them to be informative but practical. We also worked hard to find places to include even more interactive components: practice activities and discussions. This is particularly important for a workshop in a single long day. In the first workshops, we discovered that content selection provides a natural place for discussion of what public libraries are thinking about digitizing. We found it very effective for both participants in planning and workshops leaders in addressing specific questions and concerns. After our revision discussion, we also further built out existing activities in the copyright and metadata sections.

Finally, we found that all the trainings included an important thread of discussion about the implications of sharing digitized content with multiple audiences. Where public libraries are naturally interested in local audiences, we wanted to get them thinking about how locally significant digitized content can also have resonance on a national level (and beyond). This idea became an important piece of the content selection and metadata modules where participants thought about what to select and how to make it multiply discoverable. Because we will eventually work with participants to build exhibitions for DPLA and their content will appear in state, regional, and national digital library contexts, it is important that this idea be part of our day-long conversation.

Next Stages
Once we have finished our PLPP workshops and completed the project, we plan to share the revised curriculum with the hope that other institutions will find it valuable. As workshops end, the hubs are following up with participants about digitization plans and getting them scheduled for scanning. As we move into the digitization stage of PLPP, we will also begin discussing the exhibitions and making plans for follow-up training. We look forward to sharing what we’ve learned in future blog posts as the project continues.

Header image: Participants in the first Mountain West Digital Library PLPP workshop at the Utah State Library in Salt Lake City. Courtesy MWDL staff.


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Shop at AmazonSmile and help support DPLA! http://dp.la/info/2014/07/29/amazonsmile-support-dpla/ http://dp.la/info/2014/07/29/amazonsmile-support-dpla/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2014 15:32:43 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=13140 Looking for an easy way to donate to DPLA? We’re now participating in AmazonSmile, a program run by the web retailer to donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organization of its customers’ choosing. By using Amazon Smile you’ll enjoy the same wide selection of products and shopping features as on Amazon.com, but with the added bonus of supporting DPLA for no extra effort or cost. So sign up today and help support DPLA by shopping at smile.amazon.com for all of your Amazon purchases.

Digital Public Library Of America

How to sign up for AmazonSmile and help support DPLA:

Step 1 Click the “get started” button in the banner to your left to sign in/up using your Amazon account information.

Step 2Select Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) from the list of available charitable organizations.

Step 3: You’re all set! Remember, you’ll need to shop at smile.amazon.com to make sure that you’re supporting DPLA every time you shop.


There are a few ways to make sure that you remember to keep your browser pointed to smile.amazon.com (as opposed to regular old amazon.com):

  1. For those with Amazon.com saved in your bookmarks, replace your current entry with smile.amazon.com; or
  2. Install the AmazonSmile 1Button. This little widget allows you to go directly to AmazonSmile when you shop. After you install the AmazonSmile 1Button, simply click on the icon from your browser to go directly to smile.amazon.com; or
  3. For those using the Chrome browser, install SmileAlways,  a small browser extension that will automatically redirect you to the Amazon Smile homepage every time that you visit amazon.

About AmazonSmile
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers. The AmazonSmile Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created by Amazon to administer the AmazonSmile program. All donation amounts generated by the AmazonSmile program are remitted to the AmazonSmile Foundation. In turn, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates those amounts to the charitable organizations selected by our customers. Amazon pays all expenses of the AmazonSmile Foundation; they are not deducted from the donation amounts generated by purchases on AmazonSmile.


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Summer of Archives: Forever Loops http://dp.la/info/2014/07/28/summer-of-archives-forever-loops/ http://dp.la/info/2014/07/28/summer-of-archives-forever-loops/#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2014 18:05:26 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15482 The Summer of Archives is back with more archival finds from DPLA. This week we’re featuring short animated GIFs that seem to seamlessly loop forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. All of the moving images used for this post are courtesy the National Archives and Records Administration, via DPLA. To view this week’s post on Imgur, click here.


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DPLA in the Classroom: Resources on Slavery in the U.S. http://dp.la/info/2014/07/24/dpla-in-the-classroom-resources-on-slavery-in-the-u-s/ http://dp.la/info/2014/07/24/dpla-in-the-classroom-resources-on-slavery-in-the-u-s/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2014 17:17:31 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15333 As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am an eighth grade Language Arts teacher working at the DPLA this summer, researching ways the DPLA is useful for instructors and students alike. My exploration of Japanese Internment revealed how the DPLA’s wealth of primary sources can help engage students and promote deeper understanding. In this post, I will examine resources related to a different period of American history – Slavery in the U.S. These texts and images may be useful to Social Studies classes focusing on the antebellum period, or to Language Arts classes reading slavery-related texts (e.g. Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, etc.) For purposes of clarity, I’ve organized my discussion into four sections: the experiences and perspectives of slaves themselves; fugitive slaves; abolitionism; and government response.

The Slave Experience

Drawing of slaves being sold by white masters in Virginia.

Introduction of negro slavery into Virginia. Courtesy The New York Public Library.

Getting students to empathize with victims of slavery could seem a daunting task, as the period may immediately feel too foreign or cruel for middle or high school students to imagine. However, by presenting the slave story through a variety of media, including drawings, paintings, and personal accounts, teachers can begin to bring slaves’ perspectives and experiences to life. Drawings like this one, for instance, of a family being showcased and sold like cattle, reveal how slaves were dehumanized and often helpless. Images in this anti-slavery children’s book, of slaves being sold, whipped, and chased with torches, further reveal how owners tried to strip victims of agency and dignity. Teachers might encourage students to compare this book to those from their own childhood, and imagine how even goods marketed to children can become politicized. Students could also examine this oil painting of a man in shackles in order to infer an overall mood of the period; the man’s stooped position and pained stare powerfully illustrate his sense of entrapment.

The DPLA’s text-based resources on slaves’ experiences include these firsthand accounts, which paint a brutal and honest picture of how slaveholders treated women. Additionally, the DPLA contains links to important slave narratives, including Booker T. Washington’s Up From Slavery and William Henry Singleton’s Recollections of My Slavery Days. Students will likely appreciate these individual tales of struggle and triumph, as many feel most connected to history when it’s presented through personal stories.

Fugitive Slaves

As part of a unit on slavery, teachers might be interested in incorporating information on runaway slaves and their pursuers. After examining the text of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the law that required escaped slaves to be returned to their masters, students could consider how this act broadened the slavery’s impact: escaped slaves now feared for their future, while previously uninvolved northerners were forced to either return captured slaves or break the law. These ads, showing pictures of runaway slaves and offering rewards for their capture, may remind students, sadly, of today’s ads for missing pets, and dramatically reveal how people were viewed as property. Students interested in hearing a fugitive slave’s perspective would appreciate this account, detailing one man’s thought process as he finds places to hide. Lastly, this image, depicting soldiers returning captured slaves among angry onlookers in Boston, reveals the passionate public reaction in certain cities.

Advertisement for a runaway slave, describing the slave and offering a reward.

Runaway slave advertisement. Courtesy The New York Public Library.

Two runaway slaves, Anthony Burns and Thomas Sims, being returned to slavery through the streets of Boston.

The runaway slaves, Anthony Burns and Thomas Sims, returned to slavery. Courtesy The New York Public Library.

Abolitionism

After learning about slaves, fugitives, and the injustice they experienced, students will surely feel inspired by the abolitionist movement. One poster to share announces a vehement anti-slavery stance, while another one proclaims that the institution is not religiously sound. Teachers might also be interested in this advertisement for a rally in Massachusetts, where famous abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Henry David Thoreau spoke. Students may enjoy reading this anti-slavery acrostic, the “Alphabet of Slavery,” which details the evils of slavery through memorable rhymes. Other unique resources include this “Moral Map of the U.S.,” which depicts slavery as a dark, immoral mark on our country. The DPLA also provides access to documents revealing women’s active involvement in the abolitionist movement. For example, this 1864 address from the Women’s National League, signed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, articulates a clear and powerful message: “While slavery exists anywhere, there can be freedom nowhere.”

Broadside advertising a Fourth of July rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in 1854.

Advertisement for anti-slavery rally, 1854. Courtesy Massachusetts Historical Society via Digital Commonwealth.

Alphabet of slavery - anti-slavery acrostic

Alphabet of slavery. Courtesy The New York Public Library.

"Moral Map of U.S., Jan. 1837" with slavery states darkened.

“Moral Map of U.S., Jan. 1837. Slavery is a dark spot on the face of the nation.” Courtesy The New York Public Library

Government Response

Finally, units on slavery might culminate with a discussion of how the U.S. government abolished slavery once and for all. Students can read President Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the freedom of slaves in rebellion states. This next document includes the text of the Thirteenth Amendment that followed, outlawing slavery completely.

The DPLA’s primary sources related to slavery in America are numerous, informative, and powerful. The variety of resources – including texts, songs, maps, and storybooks – promises to reach students with a range of learning styles and interests. I hope that this post helps teachers present a vivid and accurate picture of slavery, and brings students a deeper understanding of this dark period in our past.

Cover image: “The child’s anti-slavery book: containing a few words about American slave children and stories of slave life.” Courtesy The New York Public Library.


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DPLA Welcomes Gretchen Gueguen and Tom Johnson to Growing Staff http://dp.la/info/2014/07/22/dpla-welcomes-gretchen-gueguen-and-tom-johnson-to-growing-staff/ http://dp.la/info/2014/07/22/dpla-welcomes-gretchen-gueguen-and-tom-johnson-to-growing-staff/#comments Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:12:15 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15265 We’re extremely excited to welcome Gretchen Gueguen and Tom Johnson as the newest members of DPLA’s growing staff. Gretchen will supplement the work of DPLA’s content team as Data Services Coordinator, working alongside our Director and Assistant Director for Content to bring on new partners, conduct data mapping and ingest, perform quality assurance, and support several other critical projects. Tom will serve as DPLA’s Metadata and Platform Architect as part of DPLA’s technology team, and will focus on helping to further improve our metadata model and related infrastructure and expanding upon our work with linked open data.

gretchenguegen

Gretchen Gueguen, Data Services Coordinator

Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson, Metadata and Platform Architect

“I am extremely thrilled to have both Tom and Gretchen join DPLA given their robust experience in digital libraries and metadata,” said Dan Cohen, DPLA’s Executive Director. “Their skills both complement and expand upon the strengths of the current DPLA staff, allowing us to go even further this year and beyond.”

Gretchen is an archivist and librarian specializing in digital libraries and technology. Prior to DPLA, Gretchen worked at the University of Virginia as Digital Archivist and at the Joyner Library Digital Collections at East Carolina University. She’s also been involved with several other digital library and digital humanities projects such as the University of Maryland Digital Collections and the Thomas MacGreevy Archive.

Tom is a digital librarian, programmer, and metadata expert with a strong commitment to open cultural heritage. He comes to DPLA from Oregon State University, where he worked on digital curation, scholarly publication, and related software and metadata issues as Digital Applications Librarian and Assistant Professor.

Both Gretchen and Tom will begin work in mid-August. We look forward to their substantial contributions to DPLA’s mission. Welcome, Tom and Gretchen!


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Summer of Archives: Firing on enemy lines in 16 steps (1918) http://dp.la/info/2014/07/16/summer-of-archives-firing-on-enemy-lines-in-16-steps-1918/ http://dp.la/info/2014/07/16/summer-of-archives-firing-on-enemy-lines-in-16-steps-1918/#comments Wed, 16 Jul 2014 14:11:45 +0000 http://dp.la/info/?p=15206 The Summer of Archives is back this week with another installment of awesome archival finds from the wide world of DPLA. This week we’re featuring rare footage of US military operations in France during World War I. The 16 GIFs in this installment depict crews of US Naval Railway Batteries preparing and firing artillery rounds deep into German military operations in Verdun, France in 1918.

View on Imgur »

The film footage used in this post is courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration. To view the entire film, visit http://bit.ly/1zCH24a.

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