State Digital Resources: Memory Projects, Online Encyclopedias, Historical & Cultural Materials Collections

Compiled by Christine A. Pruzin, Digital Reference Specialist

The Library of Congress American Memory project and other digital initiatives provide free access through the Internet to the treasures of the Library’s collections that document America’s history, culture, and creativity. Across the country, the archives, cultural institutions, museums, and libraries of many states are collaborating to create similar projects. They provide unprecedented access to materials that document local and regional growth and development as well as a look at the cultures and traditions that have made individual states and communities unique. The following is a compilation of state and regional digital projects and collaborations identified thus far. For each project, the primary institution or institutions overseeing the project are noted. The list will expand as new projects become available.

Please note that these links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site, or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

│A  C│D  F│G H I │K L M │N O P │R S T│U V W │Multi-State │

Alabama

• Alabama Department of Archives and History Digital Collections
  Featured are photographs, manuscripts, and government records from the collections of the state archives.  Access to some of these materials is also available through AlabamaMosaic.
• AlabamaMosaic
  Administered by the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries; partners include state agencies as well as public and academic libraries.   
  
• Encyclopedia of Alabama
  This is a partnership of statewide leaders in the areas of the humanities and education. Auburn University and the Alabama Humanities Foundation are the principal developers.

Alaska

• Alaska’s Digital Archives
  Initial partners in this collaborative project include the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Consortium Library at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the Alaska State Library in Juneau. Additional partners have joined the effort.
• SLED: Statewide Library Electronic Doorway
  Developed by the Alaska State Library and University of Alaska libraries. This single interface provides access to an extensive array of information resources including Alaska's Digital Archives and other digital projects.
  
  See also Multi-state collaborations

Arizona

• Arizona Memory Project
  A designated Arizona Centennial 2012 legacy project in support of the Arizona State Centennial Celebration under the auspices of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. Cultural institutions across the state provide materials.
  
  See also Multi-state collaborations

Arkansas

• Arkansas History Commission
  As the official archives of the state, the commission collects and preserves the source materials of the history of Arkansas. Access to digital materials is provided through the CARAT databases and other resources.
• The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
  Initiated by The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. An Editorial Board composed of a diverse group of educators, historians, librarians, and others, reviews content and media for inclusion.

California

• California Digital Library
  Established in 1997 under the University of California (UC) with a wholly digital charter, the California Digital Library (CDL) has a broad mission of providing access to the world’s knowledge for UC campuses and their communities. Among its many collaborative projects, Calisphere and the Online Archive of California are especially rich in materials related to California history and its culture.

Colorado

• Colorado Virtual Library
  The Colorado State Library and the Colorado library community provide access to the information resources of Colorado libraries including digital collections such as Heritage West.  

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Connecticut

• Connecticut’s Heritage Gateway
  Created by the Connecticut Humanities Council as a portal to the state’s history resources. Included are links to collections of digitized materials in Connecticut History Online, a collaboration of the Connecticut Historical Society, the Connecticut State Library, University of Connecticut and others, as well as to narrative features such as the Laptop Encyclopedia of Connecticut History.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Delaware

• Delaware Public Archives Digital Archives
  Access to over 3,000 digitized items including maps, photos, and audio selections.

Florida

• Florida Memory Project
  The State Archives of Florida provides online access to primary records that illustrate significant moments in the state’s history, as well as to educational resources and other historical materials in its collections.
• Florida on Florida
  Administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, this site provides access to digital collections from repositories across the state. It is part of the Florida Electronic Library, a gateway to select Internet resources offering comprehensive, accurate, and reliable information.
• Publication of Archival Library & Museum Materials (PALMM)
  Cooperative initiative of the public universities of Florida to provide digital access to important source materials.    Projects are high-quality virtual collections relevant to the students, research community, and general citizenry of Florida.

Georgia

• Digital Library of Georgia
  Based at the University of Georgia, this project is an initiative of GALILEO, the state’s virtual library, which provides access to multiple information resources, some of which are password protected. Visitors beyond Georgia can access this non-password-protected resource.
• Georgia’s Virtual Vault
  Provides access to items that are held by the Georgia Archives. Collections include wills, maps, trademark registrations, and so on.
• The New Georgia Encyclopedia
  Project of the Georgia Humanities Council in partnership with many others including the Office of the Governor, GALILEO, and the University of Georgia libraries.

Hawaii

• Hawaii State Archives
  A limited number of digitized state records, such as World War I service records and genealogical indexes, are currently available, with plans to add more.

Idaho

• Idaho Digital Resources
  The Idaho Commission for Libraries has created this site to access a digital repository of publications from all state agencies. State agencies are invited to submit items for the repository through this site as well.
• Idaho State Historical Society Digital Collections
  This site features special collections materials from the Idaho State Historical Society and partner projects.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Illinois

• Digital Illinois
  Provides access to digitized materials from the collections of the members of a consortium of Illinois libraries, historical societies, museums, and other cultural institutions.
• Encyclopedia of Chicago
  Presented by the Chicago History Museum, Chicago Historical Society, the Newberry Library, and Northwestern University, resource provides access to interpretive digital essays, digitized maps and photo galleries, and many other features.  Includes an extensive user's guide.
• Illinois Digital Archives
  Portal to digitized materials provided by the Illinois State Library; some overlap with the materials provided through Digital Illinois.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Indiana

• Hoosier Heritage Digital Library
  Gateway to digitized collections held in libraries throughout the state and a service of the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority (INCOLSA), a statewide network providing leadership in cooperative activities for Indiana libraries.

Iowa

• Iowa Heritage Digital Collections
  Online repository of Iowa history and culture brings together documents, images, maps, finding aids, and other media from collections held by a wide range of organizations throughout Iowa. Major supporting institutions include the State Library of Iowa, University of Iowa, State Historical Society, Iowa State University, and University of Northern Iowa.
• Iowa Pathways
  From Iowa Public Television, online learning environment with artifacts provided by partners such as the State Historical Society of Iowa and Graceland University, as well as state agencies, universities, and others.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Kansas

• Kansas Memory
  Created by the Kansas Historical Society to share its historical collections via the Internet.
• Western Trails Project
  Access to the Kansas resources included in a collaborative digital project of historic source materials related to the western migration of the U.S. population.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Kentucky

• Kentuckiana Digital Library
  Digital project conceived by the State-Assisted Academic Library Council of Kentucky (SAALCK) to provide access to the special collections materials of its academic libraries. The project has expanded to include libraries from across the state, including public and special libraries.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Louisiana

• LOUISiana Digital Library
  Libraries, museums, archives, historical groups, and other institutions across the state contribute materials to this resource. LOUIS: the Louisiana Library Network, provides technological support to participating institutions through a central support staff located on the Louisiana State University campus.

Maine

• Maine Memory Network
  Developed and managed by the Maine Historical Society, this site includes contributions from historical societies, libraries, and other cultural institutions.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Maryland

• Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage
  Collaborative, statewide digitization program headquartered at the Central Library, Enoch Pratt Free Library/State Library Resource Center.
• Maryland Memory Projects
  This is the banner under which the Maryland Historical Society(MdHS) Library's digital initiatives are presented.

Massachusetts

• Digital Commonwealth
  Portal to the rich cultural heritage of Massachusetts. Initially led by the Boston Public Library and several regional library systems, over a hundred repositories, including museums, colleges, libraries, and others, have made their digital collections accessible through this site.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Michigan

• The Making of Modern Michigan
  Collaborative digital project involving more than 50 Michigan libraries. Headed by the Michigan State University Libraries in partnership with the Library of Michigan and the Michigan Library Consortium.
• Virtual Motor City
  The Wayne State University Library System and the Walter P. Reuther Library, home to the University Archives and the Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, present digitized images from the Detroit News Collection of original negatives held by the Reuther Library.
  

Minnesota

• Minnesota Digital Library
  Created by the Minnesota Digital Library Coalition, library and museum professionals from Minnesota’s cultural heritage organizations, to support education, scholarship, and personal enrichment. Representative materials accessible from this site are found in the collections Minnesota Reflections and Minnesota Maps Online.

Mississippi

• Mississippi Digital Library
  Mississippi's first effort to develop the infrastructure, collaboration model, standards, and workflow to support a lasting state cooperative digital library program. Partners in the project include the University of Southern Mississippi, Delta State University, the University of Mississippi, Tougaloo College, Jackson State University, and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Missouri

• Missouri Digital Heritage Initiative
  Coordinated by the Missouri Digitization Planning Project to provide access to digital collections and exhibits created by the cultural and scientific heritage institutions of Missouri. Administered by the Missouri State Library and Missouri State Archives, in partnership with the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Montana

     See Multi-state collaborations

Nebraska

• Nebraska Memories
  The Nebraska Library Commission oversees this cooperative project that digitizes Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and makes them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet.
• Nebraska Western Trails
  Access to Nebraska materials included in a collaborative digital project of historic source materials related to the western migration of the U.S. population. The Nebraska Library Commission coordinated the state's efforts.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Nevada

• Discover Nevada History
  Nevada’s Department of Cultural Affairs provides this gateway to resources held by numerous institutions and agencies throughout the state.
• ONE-Online Nevada Encyclopedia
  Project of Nevada Humanities, a publicly funded nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging Nevadans in the intellectual, cultural, and civic life of the communities in which they live, and to preserving and making accessible Nevada’s rich and unique history and heritage. Project partners and sponsors include state agencies, cultural institutions, and foundations.
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries
  Access digital collections that highlight the unique culture of Las Vegas and the impact of the physical features of southern Nevada, such as Showgirls and Las Vegas and Water in the West. 
  
• University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
  Access historically significant resources from the collections of the University Libraries that have been digitized.  Among the collections focusing on the history of Nevada are Sheep Industry of Northern Nevada, Images of Lake Tahoe, and Nevada in Maps.      

     See also Multi-state collaborations

New Hampshire

     See Multi-state collaborations

New Jersey

• New Jersey Digital Highway
  Project was conceived, promoted and developed as a collaborative effort by cultural heritage organizations throughout New Jersey..

New Mexico

• New Mexico Digital History Project
  Initiated by the New Mexico Office of the State Historian, the project seeks to create a virtual engagement with New Mexico history past and present.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

New York

• The Digital Collections
  A gateway to primary source materials held by the State Archives, State Library, and State Museum.
• Excelsior: New York State Library/Archives/Museum Catalog
  An online catalog interface to the digital collections as well as important materials held by other New York State repositories.

North Carolina

• North Carolina ECHO
  Sponsored by the State Library of North Carolina in cooperation with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Innovative and collaborative project seeks to build a statewide framework for digitization in order to facilitate deep, wide, and comprehensive access to the holdings of North Carolina's cultural institutions.
• North Carolina eNCyclopedia
  Resource provided by the State Library of North Carolina is mostly text with links to digitized materials interspersed throughout.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

North Dakota

• State Historical Society of North Dakota
  The State Archives and Library division of the State Historical Society presents digitized photos, historical newspapers, and other materials from its collections.           

Ohio

• The Cleveland Memory Project
  This project showcases the Special Collections of the Cleveland State University Library. Materials are presented through web exhibits and features such as the Cleveland Digital Library.
  
• The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
  Sponsored jointly by Case Western Reserve University and the Western Reserve Historical Society, provides access to more extensive and continuously updated material than previous print editions. Includes high-resolution photos from the archives of many sources such as the Cleveland Public Library and the Plain Dealer, to enhance understanding of the content.
• Ohio History Central
  A project of the Ohio Historical Society, this resource documents Ohio's natural history, prehistory, and history through encyclopedic-style entries complemented with multimedia elements.
• Ohio Memory
  The Ohio Historical Society collaborated with several state agencies to launch this project originally conceived to celebrate the state’s bicentennial in 2003. Identifies hidden treasures that were previously inaccessible, raises awareness of state and local history, encourages teaching and study of Ohio history using primary sources, and promotes academic scholarship and publishing.
• Ohio's Heritage Northeast
  Cleveland State University hosts this site presenting digital treasures from Northeast Ohio's libraries and archives.
  

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma Crossroads
  Oklahoma Department of Libraries presents selected digital collections of documents, photographs, posters, maps, and other materials representing Oklahoma's rich, vibrant history.
• Oklahoma Heritage Online
  Seeks “to collaborate with statewide cultural heritage institutions to build a web-based collection of digital materials documenting the history and culture of Oklahoma, thereby serving the information needs of all Oklahomans.” Resource that “ensures Oklahoma's rich cultural heritage is part of a new information environment that revolutionizes education and supports learning and leisure at all levels, for all ages, and in all communities.”

Oregon

• Oregon Blue Book
  Official directory and fact book compiled by the Oregon State Archives. Primary goal is to help the citizens of Oregon understand and gain access to their government and related institutions. Also provides access to hundreds of Oregon art and culture institutions, newspapers, and more.
• The Oregon Encyclopedia
  A collaborative project of Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society and part of the celebration of Oregon's State Sesquicentennial in 2009. Still in development, it will contain thousands of entries interspersed with images, documents, and maps.
• Oregon History Project
  The Oregon Historical Society created this online resource for learning about Oregon's past. The Historical Records section includes digitized materials from the Society's collections. The Learning Center is aimed at teachers and students and incorporates digitized primary sources in the lesson plans and other activities presented.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Pennsylvania

• Access Pennsylvania Digital Repository
  The Office of Commonwealth Libraries uses the services of HSLC/AccessPA to provide digitization services to libraries and other entities located throughout Pennsylvania. Permits the storage and retrieval of digitized collections primarily focused on the interests of Pennsylvania’s citizens.
• Historic Pittsburgh
  Project conceived and hosted by the University of Pittsburgh's Digital Research Library. Collaborative content providers include the Heinz History Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, Chatham College Archives, and Pittsburgh History & Landmark Foundation.

Rhode Island

     See Multi-state collaborations

South Carolina

• South Carolina Digital Library
  Collaborative effort of South Carolina schools, libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions initiated by the Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries (PASCAL). Seeks to create and maintain a digital library to provide access to South Carolina’s historical and cultural resources.

South Dakota

• South Dakota Memory
  Heritage institutions throughout the state contribute to this gateway to rich primary source materials related to the history and culture of South Dakota. Searchable from the homepage of the state’s online search engine, SoDakLIVE.

Tennessee

• The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture
  Joint project of the Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee Press. Articles are accompanied by images, audio files, and other types of materials.
• Volunteer Voices
  Statewide digitization program provides online access to sources that document Tennessee’s rich history and culture. Collaborative effort of Tennessee archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and schools. The primary goal is to include resources that significantly relate to the K-12 Tennessee social studies curriculum.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Texas

• The Handbook of Texas Online
  Multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association. Multimedia index provides a shortcut to the images and audio and video files.
• Museum of Houston
  Project founded and managed by the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. Project partners include Rice University, which provides the technical infrastructure and support for the Web site and repository, along with other leading educational and cultural institutions in the Houston area.
• The Portal to Texas History
  Digital gateway hosted by the University of North Texas(UNT). Planned content embraces all geographic areas of Texas and prehistory through the twentieth century. Designed to appeal to historians, students and lifelong learners. UNT seeks collaborative partners to bring diverse content to the portal.
• Texas Heritage Online
  Unified acess to historical materials presented by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative (THDI). THDI is a cooperative project seeking to identify, describe, digitize, preserve, and make available special collections of history and culture held by the diverse cultural institutions throughout Texas.
• Texas TIDES
  Project of the Ralph W. Steen Library at Stephen F. Austin State University. Originally conceived to provide online access to the humanities collections of east Texas, combining the expertise of cultural repository professionals with the needs of educators to create a website that tells the history of eastern Texas. The project offers a bilingual (English and Spanish) gateway to cultural and historical resources held in Texas and Mexican repositories of interest to a wide-ranging audience. Also part of the Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Utah

• Pioneer, Utah's Online Library
  Created by the Utah State Library to provide access to a variety of online resources including the freely accessible digital collections found in Digital Utah, which is made up of collaborative collections, digitized newspapers, and other materials from Utah repositories.
• Utah Collections Multimedia Encyclopedia
  Project began with the desire of the Utah public television station, KUED, and its sister organization, a full service production facility, to make available historical, cultural, and other kinds of footage in a way to serve the needs of Utah educators. Resource provides access to materials from contributors across the state and serves the interests of a wide audience of Utahns.
• Utah History Encyclopedia
  Originally published in print form by the University of Utah in celebration of the state’s centennial celebration, the online version includes historical photographs provided by the Utah State Historical Society.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Vermont

     See Multi-state collaborations

Virginia

• The Library of Virginia
  A variety of materials found in the Library’s collections have been digitized and made available through this site.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Washington

• HistoryLink.org: The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
  Produced by History Ink, a not-for-profit corporation, resource includes features mostly unique to the site. There are features particularly useful to educators but also materials of interest to all users. An extensive number of partners contribute on varying levels. The site also seeks donors.
• Washington State Digital Library Resources
  Provides access to digital collections published by Washington State’s libraries through a single access point. Also links to a Digital Best Practices site for those considering a community-based collaborative project.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

West Virginia

• West Virginia Memory Project
  West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Archives and History section provides databases and access to primary source materials.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Wisconsin

• The State of Wisconsin Collection
  Access digitized materials selected by librarians, scholars, and other subject specialists deemed important in the study and teaching of the State of Wisconsin presented by the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center.
• Wisconsin Heritage Online
  Collaboration of Wisconsin’s cultural heritage institutions provides access to a digital collection representing Wisconsin’s history, heritage, culture, and people.
• Wisconsin Historical Society
  Access to materials from the Society's collections and to collaborative projects is provided.  Portals for different users such as researchers, teachers, and students highlight materials of interest for that group. A diverse array of materials is found in collections such as Wisconsin Historical Images, Turning Points in Wisconsin History, and Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles.
  

Wyoming

• Wyoming Memory
  Portal to the state’s rich collections documenting Wyoming’s history. A project of the Wyoming Statewide Digitization Committee, whose membership includes representatives from a wide range of Wyoming’s cultural institutions. Hosted and maintained by the University of Wyoming Libraries.
• Wyoming Western Trails
  Access to Wyoming materials included in a collaborative digital project of historic source materials related to the western migration of the U.S. population. The Wyoming State Library coordinated the state’s efforts.

     See also Multi-state collaborations

Multi-State Collaborations

• Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
  Collaboration of repositories in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State. Database provides access to materials with thematic coherence that document the history of the region’s ethnic groups including African Americans, Basque Americans, Chinese Americans, and others. Site is enriched with materials that seek to assist in the interpretation, research, and public discussion of ethnic history sources.
• Digital Library of Appalachia
  Collaboration of Appalachian College Association member libraries, including institutions from Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Online access to historical materials from collections related to the culture of the southern and central Appalachian region. Seeks to generate interest and encourage continued scholarship for the region.
• Heritage West
  Result of the efforts of the Collaborative Digitization Program in Colorado. Originally launched as Heritage Colorado, the project includes resources from nine additional Western states--Arizona, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
• Mountain West Digital Library
  Gateway to digital content from cultural institutions in Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. Mountain West defines the region of the contributors but the content provided extends beyond the history of the region with an interest in promoting an informed citizenry.
• New England Collections Online
  Project of NELINET, a member-owned, member-governed cooperative of over 600 libraries throughout the six New England states. Searches archives that are Open Archives Initiative-compliant. Collections are diverse in nature and include repositories in New England and beyond. Collections held by New England libraries are listed under Digital Collections in New England.
• Northwest Digital Archives
  Collaborative project provides enhanced access to archival and manuscript collections in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington. For the most part it contains only finding aids, with links to some digitized items in the collections. Significant subject commonalities include the major economic forces in the region, Native American language and culture, and the place of religious communities in the region.
• Rocky Mountain Online Archive
  Source of information about archival collections from Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Access finding aids for institutions throughout these states. The Heritage West collection is a companion component that provides access to digitized artifacts.
• Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive
  Grant-funded consortium of cultural institutions mostly from the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois has contributed the images to this collection. View the Mississippi region along the Illinois/Iowa border as seen through the eyes of late 19th and early 20th-century inhabitants of the area.
• Western Trails Collections
  Collection was created as a model digital collaboration project for cultural heritage institutions. Led by the State Libraries of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming.
• Western Waters Digital Library
  A collaborative regional project created by project participants in eight western states--Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. It is dedicated to providing access to water-related resources about the Trans-Mississippi region of North America.