Reposting for anyone who's not on the DPLA list and thinks this sounds like a fun project.

Genny

From: Rebekah Heacock [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 12:27 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [dpla-discussion] DPLA Beta Sprint: Announcement, Video, and Instructions

Good morning,

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Steering Committee is delighted to announce today a Beta Sprint<http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/dpla> that aims to surface innovations that could play a part in the building of a digital public library.

Full announcement: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/newsroom/Digital_Public_Library_America_Beta_Sprint
Submission Instructions: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/dpla/
Short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrmO-qUzjxM

The Beta Sprint seeks, ideas, models, prototypes, technical tools, user interfaces, etc. - put forth as a written statement, a visual display, code, or a combination of forms - that demonstrate how the DPLA might index and provide access to a wide range of broadly distributed content. The Beta Sprint also encourages development of submissions that suggest alternative designs or that focus on particular parts of the system, rather than on the DPLA as a whole.

The DPLA Steering Committee is leading the first concrete steps toward the realization of a large-scale digital public library that will make the cultural and scientific record available to all. The DPLA planning initiative grew out of an October 2010 meeting at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, which brought together over 40 representatives from foundations, research institutions, cultural organizations, government, and libraries to discuss best approaches to building a national digital library. Subsequent workshops in March and May have addressed the content, scope, and technical aspects of a DPLA.

"As the DPLA planning initiative moves forward, we are optimistic that the DPLA community and public can help us think about what a DPLA might look like, in practical - and perhaps unexpected - ways, as platform, architecture, interface, and beyond," said John Palfrey, chair of the DPLA Steering Committee. "We hope geeks and librarians, especially, will join forces to develop beta submissions in support of this initiative."

"The Beta Sprint is where the dream of a seamless and comprehensive digital library for every person begins to grapple, technically and creatively, with what has already been accomplished and what still need to be developed," said Doron Weber, Vice President of Programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and a Steering Committee member. "The DPLA represents the broadest coalition of stakeholders ever assembled who are dedicated to free and universal access to knowledge for all, and the Beta Sprint will help us kick off an 18-month program to construct, brick by digital brick, this beautiful new edifice."

For inspiration, Beta Sprint participants might consider the general approach taken by initiatives whose leaders are on the DPLA Steering Committee, such as the Internet Archive<http://www.archive.org/>, Public.Resource.Org<http://Public.Resource.Org>, the Hathi Trus<http://www.hathitrust.org/>t, American Memory<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html>, and others, as well as the Europeana project and the national digital libraries in the Netherlands, Norway, and South Korea.

Submission instructions and more information are available at http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/dpla, where you can also watch a short video<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrmO-qUzjxM> about the Beta Sprint. Statements of interest must be received by June 15, 2011. Final submissions will be due by September 1, 2011.

A review panel appointed by the Steering Committee and composed of experts in the fields of library science, information management, and computer science will review Beta Sprint submissions in early September. Creators of the most promising betas will be invited to present their ideas to interested stakeholders and community members during a public meeting in Washington, DC.

--
Rebekah Heacock
rebekahheacock.org<http://rebekahheacock.org> | @rebekahredux | +1-617-384-9141 | Skype: rebekah.heacock
Berkman Center for Internet and Society | http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/rheacock