The California Digital Library was founded by the University of California in 1997 to take advantage of how internet technologies were changing the way digital information was being accessed and shared.
The CDL partnered with the UC libraries to develop one of the largest online library catalogs in the world.
The fact that the CDL was developed with library science in mind, and with a community and service based approach, made it a great place to work. Instead of being about selling products, projects at the CDL were designed to serve and share information.
One of the first projects I worked on for the CDL was an online library of photographs from the American west, some of which dated back to the 19th century. Obviously, I love photography, so this was a treat.
The main project I worked on for the CDL was the Mark Twain Project Online, an online archive of the works, notes, letters and documents of the famous American writer.
I’m a big fan of Mark Twain, so this was a very interesting project. I did all the front-end development (html, css, javascript) for the fairly elaborate user interface that allows scholars to view specific notes in context.
While the MTPO is geared more towards scholarly work, and less towards the typical Mark Twain fan, it was fun to be involved in a project for such an iconic figure of American history.
