Community Digitization Project
Our Ontario is partnering with more than 30 public libraries and 20 other community organizations from across Ontario to implement the Community Digitization Project (CDP). This unique initiative is provided to Ontarians with funds made available from the $15-million grant to Southern Ontario Library Services and Ontario Library Services North from the Ministry of Culture in 2008.
This is a large-scale digitization project that is designed to build a base of knowledge in public libraries of digitization techniques and best practices to make cultural heritage collections available and discoverable online using the Our Ontario software, toolkit, and existing support services. The project will run from August 2009 to December 2011.
The purpose of the CDP is to strategically develop digitized content about and from Ontario and to build up digitization programs within the public library sector in Ontario, with the objectives of
1) increasing the amount of digitized content and online access to Ontario’s historical, cultural and community content, and
2) building capacity for digitization programs within public libraries. These initiatives will augment and extend existing digitization services and funding opportunities in Ontario.
Each CDP partnership consists of one or more public libraries, as well as other organizations including historical societies, museums, archives, and other community organizations. As part of the CDP, each partnership receives in-house expertise and training from an assigned Digitization Facilitator as well as digitization and record creation services from one or more Digitization Assistants. Each partnership is provided with digitization hardware and software. Partnership organizations will have access to the Our Ontario toolkit, VITA, which includes web-based software and web site for the creation, management, hosting and display of digital collections online. CDP partners’ library staff will leverage these resources and in-house expertise to enable and educate their partner organizations to digitize and manage online collections.
CDP Partnerships (see partnerships on a map)
Phase 1:
Haldimand County Partnership
- Haldimand County Public Library
- Haldimand County Museum & Archives
- Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre
- Dunnville District Heritage Association
- North Erie Shore Historical Society
East Border (Petawawa & Stonecliffe)
- Petawawa Public Library
- Head, Clara & Maria Public Library
South River Partnership (Parry Sound area)
- South River-Machar Union Public Library
- Burk's Falls, Armour & Ryerson Union Public Library
- Kearney & Area Public Library
- Magnetawan Public Library
- Perry Township Public Library
- Sundridge-Strong union Public Library
- Whitestone-Hagerman Memorial Public Library
Phase 2:
Price Edward County Partnership (Maynooth to Wellington)
- County of Prince Edward Public Library
- Hastings Highland Public Library
- Bancroft Public Library
- Deseronto Public Library
- Tweed Public Library
- Madoc Centre Hastings Public Library
- Kanhiote Tyendinaga Territory Library
- Quinte West Public Library
Thessalon Partnership
- Thessalon Union Public Library
- Blind River Public Library
- Heritage Park Museum
- Huron Shores Museum (Iron Bridge Historical Museum)
- Timber Village Museum
Clarence-Rockland Partnership
- Bibliothèque publique de Clarence-Rockland / Clarence-Rockland Public Library
- Bibliothèque publique d'Alfred-Plantagenet / Alfred-Plantagenet Township Public Library
- Bibliothèque publique de Casselman / Casselman Public Library
- Bibliothèque publique de Hawkesbury / Hawkesbury Public Library
- Bibliothèque publique de la Nation / La Nation Public Library
- Bibliothèque publique du Canton de Russell / Russell Township Public Library
- Bibliothèque publique du Canton de Champlain / Champlain Township Public Library
Phase 3:
Seguin Township Partnership (Parry Sound area)
- Seguin Township Public Library
- Humphrey Museum Board
- Christie & Foley historical groups
- Friends of the Foley Library
- Friends of the Humphrey Library
- Hekkla Historical Society
- Muskoka Woods
- Rosseau Historical Society
- Rosseau Lake College
"North Shore" Partnership (Schreiber to Nipigon)
- Schreiber Public Library
- Nipigon Public Library
- Schreiber Archives & Historical Society
- Schreiber Heritage & Tourism Committee
- Terrace Bay Public Library
- Township of Schreiber Economic Development Committee
West Nipissing Ouest Partnership (North Bay area)
- West Nipissing Public Library
- La Société historique de Field
- La Société historique de Nipissing Ouest
- La Source, Club Genealogique du Nipissing Ouest
- Musée Sturgeon River House Museum
See the CDP: Notes From the Field newsletters
*Wanted: bilingual Digitization Facilitator for West Nipissing project!*