Many of the materials in the Special Collections are not cataloged, making the digitization an arduous process of researching and standardization. But, despite the challenges, the digital collection is a unique opportunity to support the institutional efforts to provide open access to digital information resources to the local community and beyond. It supports technologies that are sustainable, scalable and are compatible with the library's technological system and interoperable with national and international digital library initiatives.

The digital project started from scratch by acquiring and establishing all necessary infrastructure, including the hiring and training of the staff, and developing a departmental work plan. Our current focus is to increase the digital production and start collaborative projects. MDPLS aims to become a contributor to the Digital Public Library of America, the first nationwide public digital library. In order to achieve this, we joined the Sunshine State Digital Network, DPLA’s Florida service hub.

The digital collections website is a growing database accessible by all. The online portal has been live for less than a month and we are already receiving requests for personal and editorial purposes. The digital program has been a recipient of the Library Service and Technology Act grant for the last two years. We have successfully fulfilled the deliverables exceeding the requirements by creating over 2,000 digital items across eight digital collections.