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Calisphere Web Site: Release Date Scheduled for June

February 23, 2006 Author: CDLCategories:

The CDL is undertaking work to redesign the “CaliforniaDigitalLibrary.org” web site.  The new site will be called Calisphere and is scheduled for release in June.  Redesign decisions have been based on a variety of user assessment findings, including user studies and teacher interviews.  In addition, we conducted a study with the Interactive University at Berkeley to learn how teachers are currently using digital objects in the classroom.

The primary audience for the site will continue to be the K-12 teaching community and it will continue to provide access to digital collections produced or managed by UC, including all digital images and texts available through the Online Archive of California (OAC) and, University of California-created web sites showcasing compilations of digital materials and exhibits.

The web site will include two new features:

  • Themed Collections: Themed Collections consist of 10-30 hand-selected images and a brief summary describing the unifying themes behind the chosen images.  Some examples include Women Workers at the Richmond Shipyards, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Dust Bowl Migration.  The collections were especially designed for teachers and the subject areas are aligned with the California State Board of Education Content Standards. CDL staff partnered with the Interactive University at UC Berkeley and worked closely with Calisphere’s advisory board of teachers and librarians to create these collections.
  • California Cultures: California Cultures will be a sub-site of Calisphere.  It will provide access to more than 15,000 selected images from UC collections documenting ethnic communities in California and the West.  The site also offers five teacher-created lesson plans and essays documenting six historical eras of California history.

Calisphere’s Relationship to the OAC

The content in Calisphere is drawn primarily from the digital content from the OAC web site.  The OAC web site will continue to be maintained after Calisphere goes live.  It will remain as an archival finding aid site that serves the needs of archivists, historians, and researchers.

For further information, see http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/calisphere/