LOUISiana Digital Library

The LOUISiana Digital Library is an online library of over 84,000 digital materials about Louisiana's history, culture, places, and people. The site includes photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, oral histories, music recordings and more.

Collection Principles: There are 19 participating libraries, archives, museums and historical centers participating in the Louisiana online library, including the New Orleans City Archives, Loyola University, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the State Library of Louisiana. Each institution contributes both the digital items and accompanying metadata.

Object Characteristics: The images included on the site are JPGs -- each image includes a thumbnail and an identical image that can be rotated, enlarged or clipped. You can also mark your favorites. Because the site offers subject searching, each image includes a number of descriptive tags. Searching may also be done by topic, institution, media format, geographic focus, time period and collection name. Audio files are played on Real Player.

Metadata: Since each individual institution provides metadata for the images from their respective collections, there is some variation. Information alongside the audio files includes contact information, title, subject, description, original format, identifier URL, session description and rights information. For many of the images and textual objects, creator, contributor, object, original format and file name are also given. The information is provided in such a manner that it is easily traceable to its source of point of origin.

Intended Audience: Anyone interested in the history of the south or the state of Louisiana would enjoy the site. Jazz lovers are likely to enjoy the musical recordings.