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Abstract
Purpose - To help information professionals learn about issues and considerations in portal building.
Design/methodology/approach - The University of North Texas Libraries' Portal to Texas History provides long-term storage and access to digital copies of important original materials illuminating Texas's past. This paper describes the development of the Portal technology and content - presenting objectives, processes, and future plans - and defines the larger goal of facilitating collaboration among resource-holding institutions.
Findings - Practical aspects of creating and populating the portal include development of specifications and standards, construction of an application framework, selection of content, production of metadata, and refinement of user interfaces. Planned future enhancements to the Portal will augment sustainability and provide added value for users. The portal project may also serve as a catalyst for wider collaborative efforts in digitization.
Originality/value - The Portal to Texas History project's experiences described in this paper will inform other stakeholders seeking to develop innovative uses of Portal technologies.
Keywords Portals, Digital storage, Content management, Digital libraries, History, United States of America
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Texas history can thrill us with its bigger-than-life heroes and heroines, champions, charlatans and rogues. Who can forget the bravery of the defenders of the Alamo or the shenanigans of Jim Hogg? Filled with life, Texas history holds the rich potential to enchant school children and captivate learners of all ages.
Imagine - a school child in Pampa, Texas, reads William Barret Travis' last-ditch pleas from the Alamo, breathing new life into the cry, "Victory or death!" A historian in Marshall, Texas, carefully peruses Anson Jones' memoranda and official correspondence as the last president of the Republic of Texas in preparation for publishing a scholarly article. A school teacher in Dallas prepares material for her students covering pioneering African-American Texas Senators, George T. Ruby, Matt Gaines, and Walter Burton. At the University of North Texas Libraries' (UNTLs) Portal to Texas History, the dream of providing unique online historical content is becoming reality.
Beginnings of the portal
In 2002, the Portal to Texas History existed only as an idea in the minds-eye of a forward-thinking University of North Texas (UNT) librarian who envisioned the portal as an entry point on the web for access to digital copies of...