AlabamaMosaic: A Distributed Digital Collection of Cultural Heritage Materials

Abstract

Panel abstract: Virtual libraries are consolidated indexes of digital items harvested from different repositories. Started by a handful of institutions in 2001, AlabamaMosaic now contains almost 80,000 items from more than 20 institutions. Four archivists and one librarian discuss the challenges of building and maintaining a virtual library in a relatively poor state; how AlabamaMosaic has raised the profile of their collections; and how AlabamaMosaic led to creation of another statewide resource, the Alabama Digital Preservation Network (ADPNet).