US Digital Public Library Launches Free Online Access

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has launched a beta version of its website today, which aims to offer free public access to content of all libraries, universities, and museums in the United States.

The DPLA has partnered with a number of institutions such as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Smithsonian Institution, the New York Public Library, and Harvard University to provide the digital content.

According to a press release, 2.4 million items will be available at the DPLA launch, including books, pictures, and manuscripts, along with several special exhibitions prepared by some of the DPLA partners. The DPLA can be accessed at http://dp.la/.

While the beta version boasts millions of items, increasing the content of the digital library may be a challenge for the DPLA. Under current US copyright law, the DPLA can only publish works 70 years past the author’s death without permission, meaning more recent works may be omitted from the portal. No mention has been made of how the DPLA will integrate this material. The site’s FAQ page, notes that many of the items available are already in the public domain.

The DPLA initiative was established by Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society with financial support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and others.

The launch was schedule to include two days of festivities at the Boston Public Library but the formal celebration was postponed as a result of the Boston Marathon bombings.