Harvard to Contribute Special Collections Materials to Digital Public Library of America | Harvard Library Portal

"The Harvard Library  plans to share several collections with the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)—becoming the first DPLA content hub.   The Harvard Library contains a wealth of special collections, and is dedicated to providing open access to them, where possible, through digitization and online dissemination. Through its collaboration with the DPLA, Harvard will contribute to global access to knowledge by linking to select digitized special collections.    Robert Darnton, Harvard University Librarian and DPLA Steering Committee member, noted, 'By making their special collections available to the public through the DPLA, research libraries can contribute mightily to the democratization of access to knowledge.  Harvard’s collections, built up since 1638, form the largest university library in the country.  By supporting the DPLA, we will make the choicest items in them accessible to everyone in America—and eventually, we hope, to everyone in the world.'   In response to the DPLA’s call, the Harvard Library is actively exploring what collections it could contribute.  Work remains to be done on various fronts before a final decision is made about specific collections, but the Harvard Library looks forward to making a number of its collections available to the DPLA.  Among them, the following have already been digitized and could be available to the DPLA before its launch in April 2013..."