In 2014, three prominent Wollongong cultural institutions: the University of Wollongong Library, Wollongong City Library and the Illawarra Historical Society, formalised a joint agreement to undertake a collaborative project to digitise important and commonly requested historical materials held within each of the organisations. The collaborative project resulting from this agreement has been responsible for the digitisation of significant local publications such as the Illawarra Historical Society Bulletin, and planning for an online exhibition of content in contextualised formats based on geographic areas and relevant local themes. Through pooling expertise, metadata, content and systems, the project group has been able to maximise the capacity of otherwise siloed and limited resources to deliver sophisticated online collections and content delivery. This project demonstrates the value of joining forces with other local organisations who are often seeking to achieve the same digital content aims, thus reducing duplication, effort, and at the same time building relationships for future collaborative endeavours or mutual support.
History
Citation
Daly, R., Jones, S., Shipp, J., Matuzelis, L. & O'Connor, M. 2015, 'Rediscovering historic Wollongong - a community and educational collaboration project', ALIA Information Online 2015: at the edge, ALIA, pp. 1-10.