What is the role of public libraries in the age of e-books and digital information? A PBS online article answers that question. In doing so, it praises the work done by the Washington Rural Heritage project to preserve local collections.

From the article:

Samantha Becker, the research project manager of the U.S. IMPACT Study at the University of Washington’s Information School, noted, “The technology environment in libraries has provided a wonderful opportunity to preserve collections and enhance access to them through digitization, which many libraries are doing with out-of-print and local collections or digital artifacts. The Washington Rural Heritage project is a wonderful example.”

That project allows users to search and access digital versions of material from libraries, heritage organizations, and private collections throughout the state of Washington. The Denver Public Library’s Western History Department offers a similar resource for photographs, documents, and other materials related to the American West.

The Washington Rural Heritage project is part of the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State. Secretary Reed is a strong advocate for public libraries. He helped save the State Library from being eliminated a decade ago and brought Washington’s oldest public institution under his office. Reed recently was given the President’s Award by the Washington Library Association.