Partnership preserves regional history through Digital Virginias

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech is partnering with organizations from Virginia and West Virginia to make more than 58,000 digital items available for research through the library Digital Virginias, a service hub of The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA).

Digital Virginias offers easy access to digitized historical materials from the region and features the Barter Theater Archives collection curated by the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. The Barter Theater collection includes digital scans of more than 200 programs, posters, and news clippings from the historic theater in Abingdon, Virginia.

"The Digital Virginias initiative is a shared infrastructure that aggregates collections across Virginia and West Virginia and maximizes public access,” said Nathan Hall, director of digital imaging and preservation services for the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. “Our partnership allows additional avenues for international access to unique and previously hidden regional collections that we digitize through our global land-grant mission.”

Digital Virginias reflects regions of Virginia and West Virginia that were a single state until 1863. This collection crosses state lines and offers a unique glimpse into the robust history of the area with topics that include race relations, architecture, arts, and American government.

“We began working with DPLA in February 2017,” said University Libraries Digital Collections Librarian Wen Nie Ng. “This is a great opportunity for all of us to share our collections on a national digital library platform and provide these resources to a broader audience.”

The Digital Virginias collection is mostly image-based and includes materials from Virginia Tech, George Mason University, University of Virginia, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University, and West Virginia University.

Digital Virginias will welcome additional regional partners in 2019.