The Internet Archive has released a new digital collection, the Drug Policy Alliance Library. An Internet Archive blog, authored by Caralee Adams, describes the source of the collection and the impetus for digitization:
For many years, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) maintained a large library of books on drug use and policy at its New York City headquarters. As researchers shifted to working online, DPA’s Jules Netherland said she noticed fewer people coming into the office to use the collection.
“It became clear if we really wanted people to benefit from our resources that digitization was the way to go,” said Netherland, managing director of the Alliance’s Department of Research and Academic Engagement. It was also an opportunity to add to the growing collection of the Substance Abuse Librarians and Information Specialists (SALIS).
The digital collection comprises 2,260 items, ranging from “volumes on historical and cultural analysis of drug use, policy and politics around drugs, pharmacological studies, and books specific to a particular drug.” The Drug Policy Alliance also created a resource guide to the digital collection, providing tips for users on how to engage with and use the materials.
dh+lib Review
This post was produced through a cooperation between Carla Brooks, Amy Gay, Miranda Phair, and Michelle Speed (Editors-at-Large), Caitlin Christian-Lamb and Ruth Carpenter (Editors for the week), Claudia Berger, Nickoal Eichmann-Kalwara, Linsey Ford, Pamella Lach, Molly McGuire, Hillary Richardson, Christine Salek, and Rachel Starry (dh+lib Review Editors), and Tom Lee (Technical Editor).