Project
The initiative to create the Digital Library of Rhode Island (DLORI) began in July 2018, when Brown University Library hosted a meeting to discuss establishing a local hub for the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). This was followed by a brainstorming session at Salve Regina in August and the formation of a Steering Committee later that fall. Between late 2018 and early 2019, the committee conducted community surveys and met in February 2019 to review the findings.
Collaborative planning between Brown University Library, Providence Public Library (PPL), and the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) continued until March 2020, when the pandemic paused the project. Meetings did not resume until February 2022, at which point the partners began formalizing the project’s framework and governance.
Significant progress was made throughout 2022:
- May: An online community meeting was held, and a survey was sent to 170 institutions. Respondents officially chose the name "Digital Library of Rhode Island."
- August–December: The survey report was published, followed by 30 in-depth interviews with various institutions to gather more specific feedback.
In early 2023, the group consulted with the DPLA about the application process and began technical discussions with Brown about the project's technology requirements. Following a presentation at the RILA Conference in May 2023, work continued on the platform and application for nearly a year.
The project shifted direction in April 2024 after the DPLA announced organizational changes that made the future of a national partnership uncertain. In response, OLIS and Brown signed a Memorandum of Agreement in June 2024 to host the technology locally. By the fall of 2024, the partners decided to move forward as a stand-alone digital library.
In January 2025, Brown offered to host DLORI using the Omeka platform. Most of 2025 was dedicated to setting up that platform and developing a prototype, leading to a third community meeting in November 2025.