Provide better access to your special collections

Many libraries and archives have special collections only available to a small number of students and researchers, who have to leaf through old, fragile manuscripts to find what they want. When libraries digitize these collections, they are not only preserved, but they are also made available to researchers worldwide 24/7.

The University of Warwick's Marandet Collection of 4,000 late 18^th- and 19^th-century French plays is one of the most significant collections of its kind. The university needed this collection to be digitized to preserve the manuscripts, to improve their visibility and to widen users' access to create a truly international collection. "We've used CONTENTdm^® to make available materials that were hidden in the past by digitizing content and putting it online through the software itself. It has provided access to things people couldn't find before or perhaps only specialists knew about," said Stuart Hunt, the Data Services Manager at The University of Warwick.

CONTENTdm offers a complete solution for storing, managing and delivering a library's digital collections to the Web. "It is very easy to get started, to get content online and to make it accessible and usable," Stuart said.

"Our use of CONTENTdm is really integral to what we call the Warwick Digital Library; it is an essential ingredient," Stuart added. "It is the way that we will continue to make an increasing amount of material available, particularly our own collections. So I would say our usage will grow over time exponentially."

Library at a glance

• Serves more than 16,000 students
• Includes one main and three satellite libraries
• Holds the Marandet Collection of historic French plays, including more than 300 Revolutionary dramas and more than 100 Empire plays