The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center (NCDHC) at the University Libraries has received a $525,573 grant to extend its operations. The award is from the State Library of North Carolina with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant comes as the NCDHC celebrates its tenth anniversary and as it closes in on working with organizations in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties.
Established as a partnership between the University Libraries and the State Library of North Carolina, the NCDHC promotes learning by increasing open access to North Carolina’s historical and cultural heritage. Special collections from a wide variety of institutions are scanned and shared on DigitalNC.org, the center’s website.
To date, the center has partnered with 276 libraries, museums, alumni associations, archives and historic sites in 97 counties, to digitize materials from local and family history collections and make them freely accessible online. DigitalNC.org currently includes 4.2 million images and files.
The grant will allow the center to continue to support its existing partners and to reach out to new partners to share their collections online.
“At a moment when many of our partner organizations are closed or have reduced on-site access, the services of the Digital Heritage Center are especially vital,” said Lisa Gregory, program coordinator for the NCDHC.
Read more about the history of the NCDHC in this special anniversary post on the center’s blog.
