About the Iowa Heritage Digital Collections

Vision

The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections (IHDC) is envisioned as an online collection of Iowa history and culture created by bringing together documents, images, maps, finding aids, interpretive and educational materials, and other media from collections held by a wide range of organizations throughout Iowa. These organizations will include colleges and universities, public libraries, schools, historical societies, museums, archives and other appropriate groups. Access to IHDC will enable searching across these multiple collections while at the same time maintaining the identity of each individual organization.

The software selected for the Iowa Heritage Digital Collections is CONTENTdm which is 100% Web compatible. Servers and collections can be administered from remote desktops; while item and metadata entry can occur at as many as 50 remote locations using the Acquisition Station. Collections are readily accessible to end users through standard Web browsers.

If you wish to add your collections to either or both sites, please contact Nancy E Kraft [nancy-e-kraft@uiowa.edu]. For a list of current participants see the collections page for the Iowa Heritage Digital Collections

 

Goals

• To establish a collaborative structure among the state's libraries, schools, historical societies, museums, archives and other cultural heritage organizations to coordinate and guide the initiative.
   
• To create an open, publicly accessible virtual collection relating to Iowa history and culture.
   

• More about IHDC Project Committee Project Notes: Documents and presentations regarding the development of the Iowa Heritage Digital Collections project

  To demonstrate the viability and value of developing electronic resources in libraries, schools, archives, and museums to further the state's economic development.
   
• To identify ongoing and planned digitization projects relating to Iowa's cultural heritage.
   
• To establish basic criteria and standards based on best practices.
   
• To provide the technical infrastructure for persistence and sustainability of electronic collections.
   
• To develop training assistance and other resources necessary to enable a diverse range of organizations, of varying size and means, from throughout the state to participate in the initiative.
   
• To encourage preservation of original materials selected for electronic distribution.
   
• To actively seek funding to establish and maintain this initiative.