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G2S Project Code: 2024-CO-95269
State: Colorado
Fiscal Year: 2024
Grantee
Colorado State Library

Project Director
Director Name: Regan Harper
Director Phone: 720-357-7040
Director Email: harper_r@cde.state.co.us
General Information
Title: Plains to Peaks Collective
State Project Code: 164K-5101
Start Date: 10/01/2024
End Date: 09/30/2025
Abstract: Under the direction of the Colorado State Library, and in partnership with the Wyoming State Library, the Plains to Peaks Collective (PPC) is the Colorado-Wyoming Service Hub of Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). The PPC worked to aggregate the metadata from online digital collections of cultural heritage institutions within Colorado and Wyoming and shared that metadata with the DPLA. Through the DPLA, educators, citizens, students, researchers, and genealogists have free access to unique collections held in participating institutions in Colorado and Wyoming. FY24 brought no resolution to the uncertainty of sustainability for the DPLA. This continued uncertainty made recruitment of new partners difficult, but the collection grew regardless, with the Colorado/Wyoming aggregation holding fast as the 11th largest collection on the DPLA of all collaborative groups (44 total).
State Goal: Resource Sharing
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$16,143.44
$29,320.00
$0.00
$45,463.44
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.
General (select only for electronic databases or other data sources)
History
Activities
Activity Details
Title: General Participation Consultations
Narrative: Consultations were conducted with institutions that were interested in participating in the Plains to Peaks Collective and the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). Consultations included an overview of the DPLA, requirements to participate, review of how institutions can share metadata, and a review of the institution's collection metadata. The primary intent was to improve users’ ability to discover information resources within the national platform.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: Virtual


Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 12
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 1


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: Yes
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 3
Academic Libraries: 3
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 3
Special Libraries: 3
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
In FY24, the Plains to Peaks Collective (PPC) significantly expanded its reach and contribution to the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). The PPC partnered with 86 institutions across Colorado and Wyoming to aggregate, normalize, and push 1,061,285 metadata records to the DPLA. This substantial effort resulted in an 8% increase in collection items shared with the DPLA's national online discovery layer compared to the previous reporting year. Awareness of the PPC and increased partner participation was driven by robust outreach activities, including presentations, social media posts, mail-list updates, site visits, and meetings. Through direct communication, the PPC team learned that many institutions are eager to participate in the DPLA but have varying technical needs before their digital collections can be shared. The State Library supported these readiness needs through the CVL (Colorado Virtual Library) Collections program. This program assists Colorado cultural heritage institutions in creating and maintaining a content management system (CMS) for their online collections, enabling their eventual participation in both the PPC and the DPLA. Furthermore, PPC partners leveraged their participation to engage in several DPLA and PPC-related projects—including metadata analysis, the creation of educational resources, and sharing collections with Wikimedia Commons. Participation in these broader national initiatives is only possible because partners are sharing their collections through the PPC aggregation hub.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
These outcomes clearly indicate that partners want to share their collections in a variety of ways and continually improve their collection metadata. Recognizing this need, the PPC will further develop a program that leverages shared metadata and offers educational opportunities focused on related projects. Support and education offerings will be expanded to include training on collection development, cataloging, and metadata analysis and remediation, better preparing future partners for participation in the PPC and DPLA. The State Library will collaborate with institutions in Colorado and Wyoming to deliver these offerings online.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
This reporting year highlighted a strong desire among PPC partners to increase their knowledge of digital collections and connect with peers engaged in similar work. Many new partners are motivated to join the PPC knowing that they will have opportunities to improve their metadata and digital collections skills through peer learning. To meet this demand, the PPC will further develop its role in facilitating learning and creating online learning modules through Digital Collections Stewardship courses.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: Yes
Exemplary NarrativeYes, the Plains to Peaks Collective (PPC) was designed from its inception to democratize participation in the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). The PPC provides a pathway for cultural heritage organizations of any size, focus, or resource level to contribute their metadata to the DPLA's national discovery platform, effectively enabling them to compete on the same playing field as larger institutions with greater funding and technology. Unlike many other DPLA Service Hubs—which often grew out of existing partnerships or consortia of large academic institutions, sometimes making the inclusion of smaller libraries, museums, and archives an afterthought—the PPC model prioritized inclusivity from the start. This proactive approach allowed the State Library to research and anticipate the diverse needs and practices of different organizations. Because the PPC was created specifically to ensure that no single cultural heritage organization type would have precedence over another, the State Library was able to build a structure and participation model that successfully works for all types of organizations from the very beginning.
Project Tags: Digital Collections, Digitization