Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Sunday, May 20, 2007

OA collection at the U of Vermont

Back in April, the University of Vermont launched an OA repository for rare and fragile works from its special collections.  From its announcement:

The University of Vermont Libraries launched the Center for Digital Initiatives (CDI) on Monday, April 16....The CDI is a new online resource that allows any user with Internet access to view and search documents and photographs from the university's Special Collections.

Previously, library patrons had to visit Bailey/Howe Library and wear white gloves to view these often fragile materials.  The CDI allows them to access UVM's signature collections in digital form from a remote location. CDI's initial collection — more will follow — is a rich, searchable archive of more than 1,000 pages of materials generated by eight Vermont Congressmen, including such well known figures as George Aiken and Robert Stafford, documenting topics ranging from the abolition of slavery to social life in Washington, D.C. The first document dates from 1818, the most recent from 2004. The collection also includes photographs....

[Quoting Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who helped secure funding for CDI:]  "CDI creatively harnesses modern technology to open windows to earlier periods of Vermont’s history. By making these archives more accessible, it will also make them more useful." ...

New material will be added on a daily basis.