Our newest exhibition, “Torn in Two: Mapping the American Civil War,” tells the story of the American Civil War both nationally and locally in Boston, Massachusetts, through maps, documents, letters, and other primary sources.

DPLAfest 2015 was one for the history books! Bringing together more than 300 people from across the country (and world!), this year’s DPLAfest was two-days worth of excellent conversations, workshops, networking, hacking, and more. Missed the action, or just looking for a one-stop summary of the event? Look no further — this post contains all media, outputs, and other materials associated with the second annual DPLAfest in Indianapolis.

On the second anniversary of the Digital Public Library of America’s launch, DPLA announced a number of new partnerships, initiatives, and milestones that highlight its rapid growth, and prepare it to have an even larger impact in the years ahead. At DPLAfest 2015 in Indianapolis, hundreds of people from DPLA’s expanding community gathered to discuss DPLA’s present and future.

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), Stanford University, and the DuraSpace organization are pleased to announce that their joint initiative has been awarded a $2M National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Nicknamed Hydra-in-a-Box, the project aims foster a new, national, library network through a community-based repository system, enabling discovery, interoperability and reuse of digital resources by people from this country and around the world.

As World War I raged in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa in the spring of 1918 to early 1919, a fierce enemy landed on American shores in the form of the influenza virus. The outbreak would decimate entire regiments and towns, kill civilians and soldiers alike by the millions, and rapidly turn into a global pandemic. No aspect of life remained untouched for Americans at home or on the front. Our newest exhibition, “America during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic,” explores the pandemic’s impact on American life and the legacy that would forever alter our understanding of epidemiology.

In my social media feeds yesterday, I saw some friends and acquaintances say that they were reconsidering their attendance at DPLAfest, scheduled to be held in Indianapolis, IN, April 17-18, in light of the recent signing of SEA 101, or the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” into law by Governor Pence of Indiana. I must admit that as an openly gay employee at DPLA, I had an immediate and strong negative reaction. I was unhappy about my organization spending money in a place that would allow businesses not to serve me simply because I am gay. However, after more thought and a night of sleep, I have come to a different conclusion. The passing of this law should make us all want to attend DPLAfest even more than we might have before.

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded $250,000 to the Digital Public Library of America today, in support of DPLA’s effort to continue to build its network of service hubs across the United States. The funds will be used to help cover states that currently do not have an on-ramp, through a state or regional digital library, for their collections to get into DPLA’s national, open collection. The award is being made as part of NEH’s new Common Good initiative, which is highlighting and demonstrating the importance of the humanities to the general public.

March is Women’s History Month and the sky’s the limit with our new exhibition, “Women With Wings: American Aviatrixes.” The exhibition spotlights the groundbreaking and courageous women who took to the skies as barnstormers and record breakers in the 1910s and 1920s, daredeviled their way across the US in the 1930s, and supported the American military in WWII in the 1940s, inspiring generations of women pilots and astronauts along the way.

The agenda for DPLAfest 2015 is now available! Featuring dozens of sessions across two days, DPLAfest 2015, taking place on April 17-18, 2015 in Indianapolis, will bring together hundreds from across the cultural heritage sector to discuss everything from technology and metadata, to (e)books, law, genealogy, and education.

We’re extremely excited to announce our third class of DPLA Community Reps–volunteers who engage their local communities by leading DPLA outreach activities. We were thrilled with the response to our third call for applicants, and we’re pleased to now add another roster of nearly 100 new Community Reps to our outstanding first and second classes, bringing the total number of Reps to just over 200.

Recently, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced a national competition to digitize and provide access to collections of rare or unique content in cultural heritage institutions, generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This new iteration of the popular Hidden Collections program will enhance the emerging global digital research environment in ways that support expanded access and new forms of research for the long term. Its aim is to ensure that the full wealth of resources held by institutions of cultural heritage becomes integrated with the open web.

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is pleased to announce the addition of four Service Hubs that will be joining our Hub network. The Hubs represent Tennessee, Maryland, Maine and the Caribbean. The addition of these Hubs continues our efforts to help build local community and capacity, and further efforts to build an on-ramp to DPLA participation for every cultural heritage institution in the United States and its territories.

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is excited to work with the Digital Library Federation (DLF) program of the Council on Library and Information Resources to offer DPLA + DLF Cross-Pollinator Travel Grants. The purpose of these grants is to extend the opportunity to attend DPLAfest 2015 to four DLF community members. Successful applicants should be able to envision and articulate a connection between the DLF community and the work of DPLA.

Following on the heels of BPL President Amy Ryan’s appointment as its next chair, the DPLA Board of Directors announced today the appointment of a slate of officer positions and committee chairs. Jamie Hollier will serve as the Treasurer of the Board and chair of the Finance Committee (and the associated Audit Subcommittee). Laura DeBonis, who served previously as Board Secretary, will continue in this role, while Robert Darnton will continue as the chair of the Governance Committee (and the associated Nomination Subcommittee). These appointments will take effect as of July 1, 2015.

The nine-member Board of Directors of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Ryan, President of the Boston Public Library, as its next Chair, beginning in July 2015 and effective for two years. Ryan will succeed the current Chair, John Palfrey, Head of School at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

We’re thrilled to announce today our third-ever call for applications for the DPLA Community Reps program! The application window for this third class of Reps will close on Friday, February 13.

Registration for DPLAfest 2015 is now open! DPLAfest brings together the full range of the cultural heritage sector to discuss everything from technology and development, to content, law, and education. DPLAfest will appeal to librarians, archivists, museum professionals, developers and technologists, publishers and authors, teachers and students, and members of the public alike who are interested in an engaging mix of interactive workshops, hackathons, engaging discussions with community leaders and practitioners, fun events, and so much more.

Looking back, 2013 was characterized by a start-up mode: hiring staff, getting the site and infrastructure live, and bringing on a first slate of states and collection. 2014 was a year in which we juggled so much: many new hubs, partners, and content, lining up additional future contributors, and beginning to restructure our technology behind the scenes to prepare for an even more expansive collection and network. Beginning this year, and with the release of our strategic plan for the next three years, we will show how DPLA is hitting its stride. We encourage you to read the plan to see what’s in store, but also to know that it will require your help and support; so much in the plan is community-driven, and will be done with that same emphasis on widespread and productive collaboration.

Season’s Greetings, DPLAfriends! Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season.

University of Washington MLIS graduate Greg Bem writes about his experience developing a new exhibit for DPLA—”From Colonialism to Tourism: Maps in American Culture”—as part of the Digital Curation Program. The new exhibit is now available on dp.la/exhibitions.