Major Collections
Major Digital Libraries
Overview
Across the world, libraries of all kinds are digitizing unique parts of their collections and sharing them with everyone. This is also happening with governments, museums, organizations, and individuals who desire to access information and creative works free of charge. Thus, for any library and librarian, building a collection of what is "owned" or acquired by the library becomes minuscule as compared to the connection development that supports library patrons far beyond a single physical location.
Search engines with their artificial intelligence may be ubiquitous, but librarians can compete as they target the unique needs of for individual and groups of patrons. Using collection mapping, librarians connect patrons with the best of the best information and materials and invite patrons and groups to be a part of the curation / selection process.
While search engines often overload individuals with advertisements and constant connection to unwanted interference, librarians can buffer the juggernaut by concentrating on equity in a world of fee and free. For example, every child can be linked to school and public library resources in all types of formats that are available in the palm of the hand and in a safe environment. In order to accomplish such an equitable platform for every intended patron, the librarian needs to be aware of the vast world of digital resources that combined with what is owned, connect the best of the...
As librarians select collections and connections, this part of the Virtual Library Guide asks awareness of the major digital collections out there that can enrich what patrons need. Think about:
Major government resources such as the Smithsonian, NASA, the Library of Congress,
Major museums around the world such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Louvre in Paris, The British Museum, the Alexandria Library in Cairo, Egypt.
National park collections and educational programs such as the Gettysburg battle Field or Yellowstone National Park.
Topical collections such as the free Family History Library in Salt Lake City or providing a subscription the Ancestry.Com for all patrons.
Official sites for religions around the world
ebooks such as Project Gutenberg for books in the public domain or the Library of Congress books for the blind and print disabled. Again, librarians should know the best subscriptions for ebooks and audio books for "in print" titles.
A few of these major sources are described below and sub collections are listed in the various major categories of this Major Collections pages. The more digital repositories librarians know, the better connections can be made to build a reputation for competing with search engines for quality information.
Major Government Information Systems
National Libraries
Digital Public Library of America
This is a US project developed in 2013 to allow public access to a digital library. Including collections: Education,Family Research, Lifelong learning, and Scholarly Research. These collections are available complete open sourced.
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled
Any resident of the United States or American citizen living abroad who is unable to read or use normal print materials as a result of temporary or permanent visual or physical limitations may receive service through NLS. This includes those who are blind, have a visual disability that prevents them from reading normal print, or have a physical disability that keeps them from being able to hold a book. Potential patrons need to have evidence from a physician and can also make application at any one of man centers of the library around the nation. Various types of equipment are available including cassette tapes, but more recently, books can be obtained on cell phones or other devices using the app “Bard.” Hundreds and thousands of titles are available, but current books take time before they are produced. More current titles are available on Audible.com for a monthly fee.
New York Public Library
Over 913,726 digital items are included. Collections include The Black Experience in Children’s Books, Japanese prints, the National Dance Institute Video Archive and more.
Harvard Library
More than 6 million digitized artifacts from the university’s collection including art, photographs, audio recordings and manuscripts.
National Library of Medicine
The collection includes films, images, texts and more. Most items are in the public domain.
Berkeley Library
Rare items from the university’s collection including photographs, manuscripts, books, newspapers, and more. Includes many documents related to California history. Highlights include the Frtiz-Metcalf photograph collection, 1906 Earthquake information, Early readers and more.
The Museum of Flight
Digitized images from the museum include journals, flight logs, oral histories and more. Themes include the Vietnam war, Women in Aeronautics, Space and WWII.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
The digital collection of the museum includes artifacts, documents, films, photographs and more.Highlights include gifts of state, art of the New Deal and the model ship collection.
National Digital Library of India
Learning resources and a repository of knowledge, this site also has services for the learner community of India. English is one of the language options along with various Indian languages as well.
National Archives
The collection includes the papers of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Jackson, presidential recordings, State Archives and more.
National Parks
Free Repositories
Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens has a rich selection of freely-accessible digital resources. The collections include historical documents and art, as well as a digital tour of the gardens and botany-specific resources.
Virtual Museum Access
This blog has a comprehensive list of available virtual museum content in an effort to combat the drop in museum attendance due to Covid-19. This resource includes portals, virtual tours/online exhibits, history museums, natural science museums, natural parks, online exhibits, E-learning, children’s content, art and cultural collections, science, and history collections with access to digital archives & libraries.
https://mcn.edu/a-guide-to-virtual-museum-resources/
Contributed by Marisol CarrasquilloCitation: Byrd-McDevitt, L. (2020, November 20). The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources. Retrieved from https://mcn.edu/a-guide-to-virtual-museum-resources/
