American Memory CollectionLibrary of Congress :American Memory CollectionLibrary of Congress Amy Rack November 9, 2009


History :History The American Memory historical collection grew out of a pilot program run by LC from 1990-1994. Material was distributed by CD-ROM until the advent of the internet. LC created the National Digital Library Program. The American Memory historical collection is the flagship of the program. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/index.html


General Information :General Information The American Memory collection is comprised of: Over 9 million digital objects Over 100 thematic classes Original formats include: Manuscripts, books and pamphlets Prints, photographs, posters and maps Sound recordings, motion pictures and sheet music http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/about.html


Mission :Mission To showcase the exceptional primary sources held by the Library of Congress. “American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity.” http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/index.html


Selection Criteria :Selection Criteria Only a small fraction of the holdings belonging to the Library of Congress have been or will be digitized The collection seeks to digitize: unique, rare or valuable items holdings that reflect American history and culture objects that the library believes it has the technology to capture, provide access to and preserve http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/faq.html


Copyright :Copyright Do not own the rights to the collections Present relevant copyright information in the accompanying documentation State that it is the obligation of the researcher to contact copyright holders and obtain permission for reproduction or use. http://www.loc.gov/homepage/legal.html


Description & Encoding Standards :Description & Encoding Standards MARCXML and MODS METS and MIX PREMIS SRU OAI-Harvestable Records http://www.loc.gov/library/digitalstandards.html http://www.loc.gov/standards/


File Formats :File Formats Text and Page Images: Tagged Image File Format (TIFF, .tif) PCX (.pcx) Portable Document Format (PDF, .pdf) Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID, .sid) Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML, .sgm) Video: Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG, .mpg, .mpeg) QuickTime (.mov) RealMedia (.rm, .ram) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#sound


File Formats (cont.) :File Formats (cont.) Sound Recordings: RealAudio (.ra, .ram) MP3, (.mp3) Waveform (WAV, .wav) Maps: JPEG2000 (.jp2) Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID, .sid) Prints and Photographs: Tagged Image File Format (TIFF, .tif) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#sound


General Interface :General Interface


General Interface :General Interface Search and Browse Collection Highlights Today in History Teachers Ask a Librarian About, Help, Contact


Collection Navigation :Collection Navigation Multiple ways to browse Topic Time Period Source Format Geographic Location Collection List Subject Title http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/index.html


Collection Navigation (cont.) :Collection Navigation (cont.) Search American Memory as a whole Group of collections Individual collection Descriptive Information Match all, some, exact Word variants Limit results http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/search_help.html


Evaluation :Evaluation “User friendly…thrilled with the outcome” “Rich resource…a rewarding experience” Amazing collection of primary sources Non-engaging initial interface Inconsistent collection level interface Browse over search No classification scheme


Resources :Resources Kottler, E. & Street C. (2002). Accessing American Memory--On-line tour of the Library of Congress collections. Social Studies, 93(3), p. 140-141 Russ, K. (2004). American Memory: Historical collections for the national digital library. Arkansas Libraries, 61(3), p. 23-24. A significant amount of information for this presentation was taken from the American Memory Collection site (http://memory.loc.gov) and the Library of Congress site (http://www.loc.gov). Citations for specific web pages can be found in the footnotes on individual slides.