About

The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center is a statewide digitization and digital publishing organization housed at UNC’s Wilson Special Collections Library. We work with North Carolina cultural heritage organizations* to scan, describe, and publish historical materials online, increasing access to and use of their collections. We are North Carolina’s hub for the Digital Public Library of America. The Center is supported by the State Library of North Carolina with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, and by the UNC-Chapel Hill University Library.

*We work with libraries, archives, museums, alumni associations, historic sites, history societies, and more.

Mission

The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center supports community engagement and lifelong learning by promoting and increasing open access to North Carolina’s cultural heritage.

Strategic Themes

Values

The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center:

  • Celebrates the cultural and geographic diversity of North Carolina;
  • Believes that community history and culture has the power to enrich the lives of all North Carolinians;
  • Advocates for open access to North Carolina’s cultural heritage;
  • Values all cultural heritage collections, regardless of their size, location, or content;
  • Respects the expertise and judgment of cultural heritage professionals;
  • Encourages collaboration as a means of increasing the effectiveness and reach of cultural heritage institutions.

Updated December 2023