The Smithsonian Institution: Diffusing Knowledge in Partnership with the DPLA. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Digital Programs Advisory Committee, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 10 December 2015

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Towards a Digital Public
Library of America
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Martin R. Kalfatovic | 10 December 2015 | Digital Programs Advisory Committee | Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian
Institution
Diffusing Knowledge in
Partnership with the DPLA
Towards a Digital Public
Library of America

2. +
Towards a Digital Public
Library of America
D P
L A
Martin R. Kalfatovic | 10 December 2015 | Digital Programs Advisory Committee | Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian
Institution
Diffusing Knowledge in
Partnership with the DPLA
Towards a Digital Public
Library of America

3. +
Towards a Digital Public
Library of America
D P
L A
Martin R. Kalfatovic | 10 December 2015 | Digital Programs Advisory Committee | Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian
Institution
Diffusing Knowledge in
Partnership with the DPLA
Towards a Digital Public
Library of America

4. +
Towards a Digital Public
Library of America
D P
L A
Martin R. Kalfatovic | 10 December 2015 | Digital Programs Advisory Committee | Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian
Institution
Diffusing Knowledge in
Partnership with the DPLA
Towards a Digital Public
Library of America

5. A portal that delivers students, teachers, scholars, and the public to
incredible resources, wherever they may be in America.
A platform that enables new and transformative uses of our digitized
cultural heritage. With an application programming interface (API) and
maximally open data, the DPLA can be used by software developers,
researchers, and others to create novel environments for learning,
tools for discovery, and engaging apps.
An advocate for a strong public option in the twenty-first century. For
most of American history, the ability to access materials for free
through public libraries has been a central part of our culture,
producing generations of avid readers and a knowledgeable, engaged
citizenry.

6. “...an open, distributed network of
comprehensive online resources that would
draw on the nation’s living heritage from
libraries, universities, archives, and museums
in order to educate, inform, and empower
everyone in the current and future
generations.”

7. October 2010: The DPLA planning process begins at a
meeting in Cambridge, MA. During this meeting, 40 leaders
from libraries, archives, museums, foundations, academia,
and technology projects agreed to work together
Richard Kurin and Michael Edson represent the Smithsonian
October 2011: Creation of six workstreams and led by a
distinguished Steering Committee—helped to scope, design,
and construct the DPLA.
April 2013: DPLA launches under the leadership of Dan Cohen

8. Quick Facts
Metadata in DPLA (including Smithsonian) is
CC0
Digital manifestations remain on the
contributors' servers and retain all rights as on
the contributors' site
DPLA is all about APIs and reuse of the data
Creation of exhibitions, contests, and
educational resources
GIF IT UP 2014

13. Archives of American Art
Anacostia Museum
Anacostia Museum Archives
Cooper Hewitt Museum
Freer-Sackler Archives
Freer-Sackler Museum
Horticulture Artifact Collection
Horticulture Archives of American Gardens
National Air and Space Museum
Air and Space Museum Archives
National Museum of American History
NMAH Archives Center
National Museum of the American Indian
NMNH - Anthropology
NMNH – All other
National Portrait Gallery
National Postal Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian Institution Archives
SIA Field Book Registry
Smithsonian Libraries
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000
Records
Total Smithsonian Records at
launch: 738,092

15. Criteria for inclusion of Smithsonian Content
- Content is available through Collections
search
- Content is owned by the Smithsonian
- Metadata points directly to a resolvable digital
object (i.e. no archival finding aids – at this
time)
- Smithsonian unit has opted for inclusion into
DPLA

23. Smithsonian was 8.76% of
DPLA traffic in FY 2015

25. 3.72% of Collections Search Traffic was referred by DPLA
(Dec 2014 – Nov 2015)

27. Digital Public Library of America >>> Beta Sprint
National Archives | Smithsonian Institution | Library of Congress
1 September 2011
Modeling a Digital Collaboration for America’s National Collections

28. National Archives | Smithsonian Institution | Library of Congress