Digital Collections at the University of Maryland Libraries supports the teaching and research mission of the university by facilitating access to digital collections, information, and knowledge. This is accomplished through enhancing access to selected library resources through the development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections; by serving as a knowledge resource within the university for digital library issues and development; by participating in national and international initiatives which further the development of new forms of scholarly communication, tools, standards, and applications; and by providing training and support in digital library standards and formats.
The University of Maryland Libraries recently digitized over 200 pre-1923 books and pamphlets documenting historic preservation activities in the United States, through the Mass Digitization Collaborative program, a collaboration between Lyrasis and the Internet Archive.
Topics vary widely, from historical publications, such as Public school buildings of the city of Philadelphia from 1853 to 1867 by Franklin Davenport Edmunds to the practical publications, covering topics such as the “art of lettering“, an 1868 treatise on house painting, and wood fibre carvings for trim and mantels.
For more titles, please visit the University of Maryland, College Park’s Internet Archive collection.
Images from Wood fibre carvings / Decorators Supply Co. (1900)
The University of Maryland Libraries have continued to contribute materials for digitization to the Internet Archive as part of the Lyrasis Mass Digitization Collaborative.
These media guides follow the Maryland Terrapin Men’s Basketball team from their first days in Cole through the national championship season of 2002 and up to 2009, when paper guides were no longer printed. Packed with pictures, player and coach profiles, and tons of historical information, they are a treasure trove for the true Terrapin fan. Follow the careers of Terp greats Len Elmore, Tom McMillen, Len Bias and Joe Smith, or read the game-by-game summaries and relive past glories.
Digital Collections at the University of Maryland Libraries has recently digitized the records of the Phi Mu Fraternity, an engineering honor society later known as the Beta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi. The Phi Mu records consist of research papers on various engineering topics prepared as part of initiation requirements. Many of these papers deal with topics relating to the history of the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Digitization staff digitized these papers according to UMD Libraries Best Practices, and then used Adobe Acrobat software to create PDF versions of the papers, which are now full-text searchable and available online via the Internet Archive. The easiest way to browse these papers is by viewing the finding aid to the Phi Mu records.
Local landmarks explored by these students in their initiation papers include places such as Muirkirk Iron Works, the Thomas Viaduct, and the University of Maryland’s Rossborough Inn.
These wonderful research papers provide excellent documentation of some of Maryland’s valuable engineering history and architecture.
The Thomas Viaduct, from The Thomas Viaduct at Relay Maryland, by J. E. Revelle, 1925
