Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Makes Its Debut

"Everything seemed to be on schedule for the long-planned Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) to make its public debut with a 2-day series of events on April 18-19 at the Boston Public Library. Then, disaster struck Boston on Monday, April 15—a very public and destructive bombing attack occurred during the Boston Marathon on the street in front of the Boston Public Library. The event, which was to be convened by the DPLA Secretariat at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society and co-hosted by the Boston Public Library, was quickly canceled. The DPLA Launch was to have included a brief working day on Thursday, April 18, followed by a formal reception featuring presentations and a series of interactive exhibits showcasing content from many partners, including the Digital Hubs and Europeana. On Friday, April 19, the DPLA was to convene a focused half-day plenary meeting highlighting the DPLA’s progress and potential. Dan Cohen, DPLA executive editor, posted a notice of cancellation on the site but noted that, '[W]e have already begun to plan an even larger event for the fall, one that will highlight our continued growth and emergence from the beta phase, and that also can serve as our first annual DPLAfest.' However, the site said that the new DPLA beta site of its portal and discovery platform would have a virtual launch as scheduled on April 18. I checked at noon EDT and found 'The page you are looking for is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.' Even a press release from Europeana received a few minutes later linked to the same message. But within a half-hour, the new site was available—see the screenshot—a press release was issued, and, Cohen posted a message, 'Welcome to the Digital Public Library of America.' It’s not very often you get to build a new library. Together, that’s what we will begin to do today. Starting with over two million items, each with its own special story and significance, the Digital Public Library of America will now begin to assemble the riches of our country’s libraries, archives, and museums, and connect them with the public. As Mercy Pilkington blogged at GoodEreader, 'A group of private individuals has apparently done what the government and Google have not been able to do: establish a national digital public library.' ..."