OAC Collection Development Policy for Finding Aids and Digital Content

The OAC is a digital resource that integrates into a single, searchable database, finding aids to and selected digital facsimiles of the contents of primary resource collections from repositories in California. While emphasis is placed on California repositories, finding aids and digital content will be integrated and federated from regional, national and international repositories as appropriate.

Finding aids are the registers, guides, and inventories that describe in detail the contents of primary resource collections, which may include materials such as letters, diaries, manuscripts, legal and financial records, photographs and other pictorial items, maps, architectural and engineering records, artwork, scientific logbooks, electronic records, sound recordings, oral histories, artifacts, and ephemera.

The OAC will build a collection of digital content that will serve as the basis for historical studies, analysis, interpretation and application to current events in accordance with:

• Identified and anticipated curriculum and research interests of users including faculty, students (university and K-12), teachers and the citizenry of California
• Mutually identified thematic areas of interest to the California Digital Library and its collaborative partners