The Macksville City Library is pleased to announce the public launch of its online digitization project Digital Macksville at http://macksville.digitalsckls.info.    The library is one of fifteen involved in the pilot of the South Central Kansas Library System’s Digital Library Initiative (http://digitalsckls.info).

The Initiative provides participating libraries with consultation services including project planning, material selection, software and equipment recommendations, individual training for library staff and a website installation to publish each library’s digitized collection online. All project support, training and website hosting are provided by the South Central Kansas Library System (http://sckls.info).

The Macksville City Library selected the town’s centennial book: Macksville, Kansas Community History 1886-1986 from its collection as the beginning of its digitization program.  The library’s project is ongoing, with materials and collections yet to be added.

The current materials were scanned and processed so text is keyword searchable and saved in an archival format before being saved again in smaller files for uploading to the library’s digitization site. Metadata (information about the item) was created by library staff for each item record in the online platform software before being made public.  Computers, software and other equipment used in the pilot phase of the project were purchased for each library with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, through their Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) federal grant program.

The digitized materials are free online, making local history available to anyone, regardless of time or location. We are pleased to offer this out of print resource and other items of interest to Macksville history.  Please visit our new site at http://macksville.digitalsckls.info, or access it through the Macksville History link on this site.