Reaching your Local History Patrons through the Web Palouse Digital Project Marilyn Von Seggern Washington State University Libraries

The Palouse Bioregion The Palouse is a unique geographic region of wind-blown loess hills in southeastern Washington and northern Idaho, bordered by the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the channeled scablands created by the Great Missoula Floods, and the Snake River. The topography was created by silt dunes blown in from the west and south during the last ice age.

The Palouse, known for… Bunchgrass prairie Paluus (Paloos) tribe Deep fertile soils producing grains and legumes: wheat, lentils, split peas, barley Appaloosa horses Giant Palouse earthworm

U.S. Agricultural Research Service

Photo by Doug Wilson. Photo by Doug Wilson.

WSU Alumni Assn

U.S. Agricultural Research Service

Barley harvest U.S. Agricultural Research Service

Milwaukee Bridge from Steptoe Battlefield, Rosalia, Paul Henning photo; MASC, WSU Libraries

WSU Libraries

Library of Congress

Peluse Falls U.S. Congressional Serial Set

“Palouse Falls, 1932” Image from WSU Archives

Palouse Falls Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Development of the Palouse Digital Project 1950(?)-1979 Card file Computer-generated bibliography with author and subject indexes 2003 Went digital 2008 Scanned Palouse Bibliography

Prototype: Southern Oregon Digital Archives (SODA)

SODA Title browse list

Project Parameters In-print resources—how many? 930 articles, 102 research reports, 257 theses and dissertations 760 articles in the public domain

Getting started Use of CONTENTdm software Local funding for first 15 items to begin building test database Took classes and workshops on getting grants Began discussions with Libraries’ Development Officer Expanded database

Project Statement Statement of purpose Bioregion description Project goals Audience Subjects and types of materials included

Statement of Purpose The Palouse Digital Project will make accessible to students, researchers, and the general public a variety of resources about the Palouse bioregion. Documents…and other resources that are in the public domain will be digitized and included…for browsing, viewing, and searching.

Project Goals Provide access to resources in the public domain related to the Palouse bioregion of Washington and Idaho by creating a searchable digital collection of materials from the earliest publications to the present Consolidate resources published over the course of a century and scattered over many collections and locations. The project will draw from the rich collections of Washington State University Libraries and seek to add relevant materials not already in the library Make these resources freely and easily available on the Internet to students, researchers, and the public

Audience Secondary and higher education students Researchers in many fields of specialization The general public

Subject inclusion Agricultural Economics Ethnology Agriculture Geography Anthropology Geology Archeology History Biology Hydrology Ecology Natural History Environmental History Zoology

Types of materials documentsreports booksstudies & surveys mapsoral histories photosvideo websites

Project Priorities Phase I pre-1950 public domain documents Phase II Phase III 1971-present

Metadata Dublin Core Metadata Elements for Palouse Digital Project (Based on Western States Dublin Core Metadata Best Practice Version 2.0, January 2005) Updated Sept. 28, 2006 M=Mandatory; NM=Not mandatory; LCSH=Library of Congress Subject Headings; LCAF=Library of Congress Authority File; AACR2R=Anglo- American Cataloging Rules, 2nd ed. For non-page-level metadata: Title (M)—Follow AACR2R (Maps to Dublin Core Title) “The name given to the resource by the creator or publisher; may also be an identifying phrase or name of the object supplied by the contributing institution.” Title of item Creator (M. if available)—Use LCAF; if not in LCAF, follow AACR2R to form the headings (Maps to Dublin Core Creator) “A person or entity primarily responsible for creating the intellectual content of the resource.” ……………………………….

Palouse Digital Project next steps Write grant applications Looking for partners –Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Inst., Palouse Prairie Foundation, Palouse Conservation District… Added Rose Creek Preserve photo- monitoring collection

Rose Creek Preserve Photopoint 7

Palouse remnant Wash. St. Dept. of Natural Resources