Save your Favorite DPLA Items with New List Feature

By DPLA, August 1, 2018.
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We are pleased to announce a new website feature that allows users to create lists of items from across the Digital Public Library of America’s collections. With this new tool, users can easily save great materials discovered on DPLA’s website to come back to again and again without having to repeat a search. Educators, save primary sources for upcoming lessons. Students, create a list of resources to come back to for research projects. Genealogists, collect materials that document your family’s history. Or, use your lists to explore and document the most fun, fascinating, quirky, and clever content from DPLA – the possibilities are endless!

Here’s a list of tips for how to get started:

Create your lists

Create your first list at https://dp.la/lists or from any set of search results or topic browse pages using the “Create new list” button. Select a topic or title and you’re ready to go!

Select items

Add up to fifty items to each list from any search results, topic browse lists, or item pages. Simply select your list in the drop down menu above the search results, then click the “Add to list” box next to each item you would like to save.  

On item pages, check the box next to your list topic(s) to add the item, or create a new list for that item using the red button.

Lists are browser-based

Revisit, revise, and add to your lists anytime by visiting https://dp.la/lists in the same browser you used to create them. To protect your privacy and avoid collecting personal information like names and emails, we designed this tool to work in conjunction with your device’s internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) rather than requiring a DPLA account. Your lists are private because they only exist in the browser you use to create them. To use and add to your lists, just be sure to use the same device and browser each time you visit DPLA.

If you are using a shared device like a computer at your school or library, download your lists as spreadsheets so you can revisit your favorite items again later (and you can always delete lists on a shared device when you’re done using DPLA if you don’t want others to see them).

This is the browser I use when searching DPLA – all my lists appear!

When I visit the same page in another browser, my lists aren’t saved.

Download and share your lists

Since your lists are saved in your device’s browser, you will not be able to share a link allowing others to see the items on your lists. However, you can download your lists as spreadsheets with key information for each item like title, creator, and a link to that item online. Your downloaded lists can be easily shared with friends and collaborators as an Excel or Google spreadsheet, for example. Downloading and saving your lists also allows you to save item information to refer to later on other devices. 

Add, Edit, Repeat

Having second thoughts about an item? You can remove items as easily as adding them by checking the “Remove from list” box next to the item on your list.

Lists are a work in progress and a first step in providing more ways to explore our collections. We would love to hear what you think and how we can improve this feature in the future. Find us on Twitter at @dpla or email info@dp.la with feedback.

Having trouble? Make sure your browser is updated. This tool is supported in the following browsers and versions: Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or later, Internet Explorer 8 or later, Microsoft Edge 12 or later, Google Chrome 4 or later, Apple Safari 4 or later, Opera 11.5 or later, any native Android browser, and any native iOS browser.