Building Digital Cultural Heritage Collections in Arizona

Abstract

Arizona has an exceptionally rich cultural heritage, and yet only a small fraction of this legacy has been digitized and made available online through the Arizona Memory Project and other collections. With IMLS funding, the University of Arizona’s DigIn program is carrying out research (grant ending 2012) on digital collection development and digital curation activities in a diverse sampling of Tucson-area cultural heritage institutions, especially those representing underserved communities. We are gathering data on a range of factors influencing the decision to start digital projects, and the sustainability of digitization at a time of limited resources. Our goal is to assess the feasibility of new or expanded digital projects, and to define best practices for institutions pursuing small-scale digitization efforts especially. In this program we will share our preliminary results and discuss future efforts to advance the digitization of cultural heritage by librarians and information professionals across Arizona and the West.