Sharing your collection with the PPC allows you to reach a wider audience on a dual state platform. You have the opportunity to increase traffic to your collections and therefore your institution. It also allows you to connect your collection stories with the stories held by other institution, creating a richer, more complete experience for the end user.
The PPC contains metadata (descriptive information) for millions of historically unique items such as photographs, manuscripts, books, oral histories, moving images, serials, objects, and more. We do not accept monographs or books readily available through standard publishers, proprietary information that is not freely available through the contributor’s site, or theses and dissertations unless they are of historic importance.
An institution must have an online collection that is available for viewing through the web via an online content management system (CMS). Some commonly used CMS include: ContentDM, Luna, Past Perfect, Omeka, among others. Metadata for each item submitted must include: the name of the owning institution, a title, a rights statement, a thumbnail or preview image when appropriate, and a unique URL back to the item at the home institution’s repository. For more detailed information about becoming a contributor, see Ready to Participate?
Yes, we currently share partner metadata with the DPLA on a quarterly basis – July, October, January and April.
Metadata is textual information that is used to locate, organize, or describe an information resource. In the case of libraries, archives and museums, that resource is generally a collection item that is digital or analog. This textual information could include the name of the author or creator, subject heading(s) that describe the collection item, or date the item was created. For more information about the PPC Metadata Guidelines, see Resources for Contributors.
We typically receive data from partners via OAI-PMH, xml, json files, or API—but we can accommodate other options, including CSV files, when needed.
The PPC does not collect any fees for participating in the PPC or the DPLA. Funding for the PPC’s membership in the DPLA and the technological infrastructure and Hub staff are paid for through grant funds provided by the the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and are contributed by the Colorado State Library and the Wyoming State Library.