Abstract: The University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries received a grant from the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board to create the technical structure for a Web Portal to Texas History. In collaboration with many stakeholders (Texas libraries, museums, teachers, historians, etc.), the portal to Texas history at UNT provides access to a diverse collection of published and unpublished resources (manuscripts, letters, maps, oral histories, photographs, etc.) to researchers, teachers, and young scholars at school, home, office, or anyplace with a computer and Internet connection. Implementing a state-wide system required the creation of a robust application framework for integrating heterogeneous digital information resources from institutions across the state. This paper discusses issues related to portal building and explores compliance and interoperability issues. Based on the UNT Libraries' Portal to Texas History project experiences, it will attempt to assess the current status and the emerging trends in innovative uses of portal technologies and provide an overall scenario. In context of aggregating a variety of formats, bundling preservation metadata to facilitate long-term access, setting project standards and best practices guidelines, and coordinating a variety of collaborative efforts for participating institutions.
This is the author manuscript version of the paper published by the Society for Imaging Science and Technology.