New Partnership for National Digital Archive
Four Foundations Contribute $3.25 Million to Expand Significant Archive of 50 Million Books, Photos, Videos
Cleveland Public Library (CPL) and the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) today announced a partnership to chart a new vision for the national digital collection. The collection comprises over 50 million books, photos, maps, videos and more that document America’s cultural heritage. In July, Cleveland Public Library will lead the project.
Over two million users annually search the archive, which contains material from 6,000 libraries and museums across the U.S. The effort makes the richness of America’s digitized memories freely available to scholars, educators, students and others. The effort has contributed more than 25 million images to Wikimedia Commons, where they have been viewed over 10 billion times.
“DPLA is proud to have launched this vital resource in 2013 with our partners across the country. Now the archive needs—and deserves—a home beyond our small nonprofit,” said John S. Bracken, Executive Director of DPLA. “Cleveland Public Library is the right partner to grow the archive while maintaining its accessibility for generations to come.”
“This is an important step forward in preserving America’s history,” said Cleveland Public Library Executive Director and CEO, Felton Thomas, Jr. “As The People’s University, Cleveland Public Library is proud to shape the next chapter of this vital national collection.”
Cleveland Public Library and the DPLA announced the partnership in Miami last month to 60 national library leaders during the Knight Media Forum, the Knight Foundation’s annual gathering of practitioners on the frontlines of local journalism, civic engagement, research, academia and the arts.
Tom Fay, Chief Librarian of The Seattle Public Library, will lead a national steering committee that will guide the creation of a new vision for the archive. Working alongside Fay will be vice chair Mandy Knapp, Executive Director/State Librarian of Ohio; Priscilla Suero First Deputy Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia; and Marcia Walker-McWilliams, Executive Director of the Tulane University History Project and DPLA Board Member. Additional members will be added in the weeks ahead, and a search will begin for the archive’s leader.
“To fully tell the American story, we need a framework that reflects the needs of libraries big and small,” said Fay. “Working together, we will create an enduring vision that puts our country’s culture within everyone’s reach.”
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation each awarded $1 million to launch the renewed effort; the Ford Foundation awarded $250,000.
“We’re immensely grateful for this support, which will enable the growth of a vital national resource,” said Joe Lucia, Dean of Libraries at Temple University and DPLA Board Chair. “This partnership will enable DPLA to take up new efforts that advance our mission to maximize access to information in new ways.”
CPL and DPLA will share additional details in June 2026 at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago.
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About Cleveland Public Library
Founded in 1869, Cleveland Public Library serves the residents of Cleveland through its network of 27 neighborhood branches, the Main Library downtown, Public Administration Library at City Hall, homebound delivery services, and mobile services to daycare and senior centers. From a collection of 12 million items, the Library has traditionally circulated nearly 6 million items a year to its 308,393 registered borrowers and to 45 other CLEVNET-member libraries in 12 counties across Northeast Ohio. Cleveland Public Library is home to the Ohio Center for the Book and the Ohio Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, serving all 88 counties in the state of Ohio. For more information, visit cpl.org.
About the Digital Public Library of America
Founded in 2013, The Digital Public Library of America is a nonprofit organization that expands access to knowledge and history. DPLA amplifies libraries and cultural organizations as Americans’ most trusted sources of knowledge.