Over 170,000 cultural digital resources available at UWM Libraries

Billy Odell Tucker-Robinson Founder & Host — Banking With Billy Network • Intelligence Network • Data Science • AI Research • World News
Published: 2026-09-10T05:25:44.724Z • Permanent link

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries has announced the availability of over 170,000 cultural digital resources, making it one of the largest collections of its kind in the world. The library's digital humanities team has worked tirelessly to curate and digitize a vast array of cultural materials, including rare books, manuscripts, and archival documents. This impressive collection is a testament to the library's commitment to preserving and making accessible cultural heritage for future generations. The digitization project has been led by Dr. Lisa Samford, the director of digital humanities at UWM, who has stated that the goal of the project is to "make cultural resources more widely available and to support research and scholarship in the humanities.

The library's digital collection includes materials from around the world, with a focus on American Indian and Alaskan Native cultures, as well as materials related to African American history and culture. The collection also includes a wide range of materials related to Wisconsin's history and culture, including documents related to the state's indigenous peoples and its early European settlers. The library's digital humanities team has worked with numerous institutions and organizations to acquire and digitize these materials, including the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and the Wisconsin Historical Society. The project has been supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The digitization project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with the library's digital collection already being used by researchers and scholars from around the world. The library has made a significant commitment to making these resources available online, with plans to provide access to the entire collection through the library's website. This will enable researchers and scholars to access the materials from anywhere in the world, without the need for physical access to the library's collections.

The availability of over 170,000 cultural digital resources has significant implications for research communities and scholars in the humanities. The library's collection is particularly valuable for researchers studying American Indian and Alaskan Native cultures, as well as African American history and culture. The collection will also be of great interest to researchers studying Wisconsin's history and culture, and will provide a unique resource for scholars studying the state's indigenous peoples and early European settlers. The library's commitment to making these resources available online will also enable researchers to access the materials from anywhere in the world, without the need for physical access to the library's collections.

The library's digital collection will also have significant impacts on companies and organizations that rely on cultural resources for their business operations. For example, companies that specialize in cultural consulting and cultural heritage preservation will be able to access the library's collection to conduct research and provide expertise to their clients. Similarly, museums and cultural institutions will be able to use the library's collection to support their own research and exhibitions. The library's commitment to making these resources available online will also enable researchers to access the materials from anywhere in the world, without the need for physical access to the library's collections.

The availability of over 170,000 cultural digital resources is part of a larger pattern of increased investment in digital humanities projects around the world. In recent years, numerous institutions and organizations have launched similar digitization projects, with a focus on making cultural resources more widely available and supporting research and scholarship in the humanities. For example, the Digital Public Library of America has launched a number of digitization projects, including the digitization of the Library of Congress's collections. The library's digital humanities team has also been working with other institutions and organizations to develop new technologies and methods for digitizing cultural resources.