The University of Tennessee Libraries has partnered with the Tennessee State Library and Archives and the Tenn-Share statewide library consortium to become a service hub for the Digital Public Library of America.

Tennessee’s service hub was one of four successful applicants added to the DPLA network in February 2015.

For most of American history, the ability to access materials for free through public libraries has been a central part of the culture, producing generations of avid readers and a knowledgeable, engaged citizenry. The DPLA sustains that tradition by bringing together the riches of America’s libraries, archives and museums, and making them freely available online through a single platform and portal.

Tennessee service hub partners will identify and recruit other cultural heritage institutions in the state that can contribute content. Initially the hub will collect materials on Appalachia, the Great Smoky Mountains and the civil rights movement.

The DPLA’s portal will deliver Tennessee’s digitized cultural heritage to students, teachers, scholars and the public. The DPLA interface offers innovative new ways for researchers to discover and use the millions of collected digital objects, including online texts, photographs, manuscripts and artwork.

Tennessee service hub partners will digitize materials and enhance their discovery through descriptive metadata.

“I’m pleased UT can provide the technical support to make Tennessee’s digital cultural heritage collections available to the world,” said Holly Mercer, associate dean for research and scholarly communication at the UT Libraries. “The Digital Public Library of America is a portal to valuable resources and an exemplar of successful collaboration.”

The DPLA was first envisioned in 2010 by leaders from libraries, foundations, academia and technology projects. Early development was hosted at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. The DPLA is now a nonprofit corporation based at the Boston Public Library.

For more information, visit http://dp.la.