Libraries have been digitizing materials for decades as surrogates for access to physical materials, and in doing so have broadened the range of people and uses for library materials. With projects like Hathi Trust and Google Book Search systematically digitizing mass-produced monographs and making them available within the bounds of copyright law, libraries continue the trend of digitizing what is local and unique, and the emergence of projects like the Digital Public Library of America and OCLC’s WorldCat Digital Collection Gateway expand discoverability of the local and unique well beyond the library’s traditional reach. This presentation provides an overview of this trend, updates on what libraries can do, and describes activities LYRASIS is doing to help libraries and other cultural heritage institutions expand their reach.
