Scope
The San Fernando Valley History Digital
Library is the first effort to assemble, digitize and make
globally available historically significant documents, manuscripts,
photographs and related graphic materials from public and private
collections in the San Fernando Valley. It provides full, open and equal
access to materials demonstrating the socio-economic changes and
cultural evolution of the San Fernando Valley from the early 19th
century through the end of the 20th century.
The San Fernando Valley History Digital Library project creates a new
and important link between the Library's traditional service community,
our client groups, and the University's extensive holdings of
non-circulating primary source materials. This Internet project will
also expand the Library's user group globally, reaching all scholars
researching the history of greater Los Angeles through the network. The
digital library database will bring together, for the first time,
significant historical photographs, illustrations, maps, manuscripts,
documents and related graphic materials from a variety of collections
located on the CSUN campus, including the Center for Photojournalism and
Visual History, the Geography Department Map Library, and the Oviatt
Library's Special Collections, which includes the Urban Archives Center
and the University Archives. Added to these items will be a number of
selected images from fourteen local historical societies in the San
Fernando Valley. The web pages of the historical societies will be
linked to the project.
The Digital Library was conceived in the
spring 2000 after meeting with the newly formed San Fernando Valley
Heritage Network. A project committee was formed consisting of Dean
Susan Curzon, Tony Gardner, Curator of Special Collections and Archives,
Robert Marshall, Head Archivist, and Cindy Ventuleth, Director of
Development for the Library to submit a grant proposal to the State
Library for funding through the Library Services and Technology Act
(LSTA) Grant Program. Grant funding provided for equipment, database
development and staffing for one year. The Library and Network are
seeking new funding to continue the project.
Creating the Digital Library
The Oviatt Library began developing the San Fernando Valley History
Digital Library project concept in 1999. The Oviatt Library is currently
a partner in digital projects documenting the history and cultural
recovery of Los Angeles. These projects include Faces of Los Angeles
(Getty Information Institute), and Cultural Inheritance LA (Getty
Research Institute and L.A. as Subject Advisory Forum).
Over a period of one year from October 1, 2000 to September 30, 2001,
project staff borrowed, scanned, and cataloged objects borrowed from
members of the Heritage Network and from collections in the Oviatt
Library's Special Collections, Urban Archives Center, and University
Archives and the Geography Department's Map Library.
The Project
Archivist, working closely with Network members and the Project Manager
selected objects for scanning. The Project Technician created a
high-resolution digital master image. This image is the source for the
two low-resolution images on the Digital History website, a small
thumbnail used for previewing and a larger viewing image. Metadata
Specialists cataloged the objects and uploaded the image and data to the
CONTENTdm image database The database was developed at the University of
Washington. The digital records conform to the California State Library
Scanning Standards and the California Digital Library Digital Image
Collection Standards.* The project web site is located at http://digital-library.csun.edu/
and will be accessible through the Online Archive of California at http://www.oac.cdlib.org/.
Today the Oviatt Library's archival holdings represent the largest
and most complete assembly of information on the San Fernando Valley.