Group of Idaho Academic Libraries Announce New Statewide Organization and Release of First Project

The library deans and directors of Boise State University, Idaho State University,

Lewis -Clark State College, and the University of Idaho are pleased to announce the formation of the Network of Idaho Academic Libraries (NIAL), effective immediately.

Formed in collaboration with the Idaho Commission for Libraries, NIAL is dedicated to strengthening collaborations between Idaho’s academic libraries to enhance the library services and resources offered by Idaho’s institutions of higher education. NIAL’s first initiative is a combined collection of digital libraries from across the state of Idaho. The founding members of NIAL have begun to recruit other academic libraries from within the state to expand the impact and reach of the organization.

More information about NIAL can be found at www.idahoacademiclibraries.org.

NIAL’s first project is the release of the Digital Library of Idaho (DLoI), a new discovery platform for digital collections from across the state of Idaho that can be found at

https://www.digitallibraryofidaho.org. 

DLoI features over 150 collections from academic libraries, public libraries and governmental organizations across the state, including: University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, the Idaho State Archives, the Idaho Transportation Department, and the Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL).

DLoI makes existing digital collections more easily discoverable and provides access points to a large variety of historical images, documents, and other media. Collections within DLoI can be explored via subject matter, time period, material type, and location. Tania Harden, Assistant University Librarian, Digital Services and Technology, and Ellen M. Ryan, Head of Special Collections and Archives, both library faculty at the Eli M. Oboler Library, serve as founding board members of the DLoI.