The State Library has launched a new ground-breaking experimental website giving visitors the opportunity to explore more than 1.2 million digitised items from the Library’s collections in one go.
State Librarian, John Vallance said that with the new website, Aereo, online visitors could help the Library test a new way of exploring its digitised materials.
“The sheer size of the State Library’s digital collection can be overwhelming unless you know exactly what you are looking for,” Dr Vallance said.
“It’s a unique experience,” he said.
“You start with a bird’s-eye view of a vast mosaic of images and see the collection as a whole, before zooming down to earth.”
Dr Vallance said there were many different categories to explore including manuscripts, journals, paintings and architectural drawings.
“Each can be organised in a way that makes exploration easier,” he said.
“Aereo was devised by internationally respected designer and developer Mauricio Giraldo, who won the State Library’s 2019 DX Lab Fellowship.”
He said Mr Giraldo had previously worked on projects for the New York Public Library and the Digital Public Library of America.
Dr Vallance said Aereo was designed to test the limits of emerging web technologies and explore ways to improve collection accessibility and searchability.
The Library’s new website Aereo can be accessed at this PS News link.
