Defining and Digitizing a Common/Wealth:

1. Defining and Digitizing a Common/Wealth: Building Pennsylvania’s Digital Library—Audiences, Topics, Materials, and Priorities Pennsylvania has stood at the crossroads of American history. Its central location, its position as a center of learning and commerce, and its commitment to religious tolerance fostered settlement by diverse immigrant populations and attracted leaders who forged a new nation from America’s original 13 colonies. Pennsylvania’s rich cultural heritage collections offer keys to understanding the forces that have shaped and continue to shape American history. Digitizing these cultural heritage collections, purposefully and collaboratively on a prioritized basis, will make it possible for both Pennsylvanians and worldwide audiences to engage with our remarkable history in new and meaningful ways. In 2007-2008, a panel of experts in history, education, libraries, museums, and cultural heritage tourism, was convened to determine the audiences and priorities for digitization of Pennsylvania’s cultural heritage. The panel was gathered under the auspices of the Digital Collection Development Working Group of the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Collaborative Digitization ( PACCD), an endeavor of the Pennsylvania Office of Commonwealth Libraries. This poster presents the panel’s findings, specifying the audiences for digitization in Pennsylvania and reports on the panel’s recommendations for priority topics and materials for digitization. What do you think? We welcome your input and insights on ways to continue defining Pennsylvania’s digital presence. http//padl.pbworks.com/ Visit the project’s website to make contact and share your vision of our cultural heritage’s digital future. • Project funding • This project was funded by a federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. • Partners • PALCI: http://www.palci.org • Lyrasis: http://www.lyrasis.org • PACSCL: http://www.pacscl.org • PA Office of Commonwealth Libraries: http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us • Pennsylvania Digital Library: http://padl.pitt.edu • Photo credits • Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • The Padula Family, New Castle, Pennsylvania For more information, contact— John Barnett Assistant Director PALCI: Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (412) 247-4130 barnett@palci.org