FacebookDigital Initiatives does not have its own Facebook page or group, but posts relating to Digital Initiatives or posts using content from its collections are often made on the North Dakota State Library's Facebook page, as well as the Digital Horizons Facebook page.
InstagramThe Digital Initiatives department does not have its own Instagram account, but posts relating to Digital Initiatives or posts using content from its collections are often made on the North Dakota State Library's Instragram.
PinterestThe North Dakota State Library has a board on Pinterest called "Digital Initiatives." This board includes dozens of pins that are a sampling of the ND State Library's digital collections. Themes include military, politics, transportation, religion, weather, sports and recreation, education, weddings, and agriculture.
YouTubeDigital Initiatives utilizes YouTube to upload and/or share videos, tutorials, webinars, etc. that relate to the many different aspects of digitization, digital preservation, and digital collections. Some of these videos were created by the North Dakota State Library, and other videos are from other cultural heritage institutions across the country. Regardless of where the videos originated, their intent is all the same: they are there to provide information and offer guidance.
Additionally, Digital Initiatives uses YouTube to upload digitized videos. These videos are embedded and accessible within the ND State Library's collections on Digital Horizons, but they can also be watched directly on YouTube.
BlogOne way to follow Digital Initiatives is to view the department's posts on the ND State Library's blog. The posts include updates, information on upcoming events, and new project announcements; but they also include many other topics relating to digital projects, such as digitization, preservation, tips and tricks, recommendations and best practice, resources, and the occasional "just-for-fun" post.
You can also subscribe to the blog to be notified via email of new posts. Consult the PDF below for instructions on how to subscribe to the Digital Initiatives blog.
NewslettersAnother way to follow Digital Initiatives is to subscribe to the newsletters of the North Dakota State Library. The Digital Initiatives department occasionally writes articles for these newsletters.
To stay up-to-date about services and programs available at the North Dakota State Library, sign up to have the ND State Library's newsletters delivered to you via email as soon as they are published.
In the Flickertale newsletter, the department has:
RSSOne final way to follow Digital Initiatives is via RSS, which is a web feed that allows users to track updates to online content. RSS is typically symbolized with an orange icon:
Subscribing via RSS typically involves a browser extension. If you do not have one, here are two good options: there is the Feeder browser extension for Firefox users, and the RSS Feed Reader browser extension for Chrome users. Both of these extensions are the same. They just have different names for some reason. Because they are the same browser extension, adding feeds to them will follow the same process.
If you already have a favorite RSS browser extension, go ahead and continue using that instead of adding a new one. However, the instructions provided on this guide on how to subscribe to feeds use the browser extensions mentioned above. Other RSS browser extensions surely follow a similar subscription process, but their steps will likely be slightly different.
If you would prefer to subscribe to the ND State Library’s blog via RSS instead of by email, there is a way to do this. Actually, there are two options. With RSS, you can:
If you need to subscribe manually, the RSS codes/ URLs for the blog are provided below; or if you need assistance subscribing to the blog via RSS, consult the PDF below.
Subscribe to one or more of the feeds to keep up with Digital Initiatives and the ND State Library.
Digital Initiatives has a "blog" called the Digital Dashboard. The blog does not really function as a normal blog. Think of it more as a Twitter feed. The posts are very brief and only provide updates/ links to recently published reports, lists, articles, etc. The blog does not really have original content, but rather it links to this content.
The "blog" was created as a way for users and followers of the ND State Library's digital collections and Digital Initiatives up to date on what's happening. It is a way for Digital Initiatives to highlight new activities in one convenient location.
If you would like to subscribe to this "blog" via email, follow these steps:
Find A GraveFind A Grave is a free online database of cemeteries and graves. It boasts the world's largest gravesite collection.
Digital Initiatives will occasionally contribute items to grave records, such as public domain or no copyright images of the individual and biographical information. Click on the user profile link below to explore what Digital Initiatives has contributed.
Google MapsSome of the ND State Library's digital collections have interactive Google Maps to accompany them. These maps provide a different perspective on the scope of the collections, and a fun way to browse for content.
HistorypinHistorypin is an online, user-generated archive of photographs, videos, and audio recordings. Users are able to pin their content, to Google Maps. Where Google Street View is available, users can overly their historic images and compare them with the modern view by using the slider feature. The Digital Initiatives department only adds content from its collections to Historypin that are Google Street View compatible, so the fun slider feature is always available. Give it a shot and travel back in time!
Jigsaw PlanetJigsaw Planet is a website that allows contributors to upload and create jigsaw puzzles from their images. Digital Initiatives has added a number of images from the digital collections of the ND State Library to its Jigsaw Planet account.
These virtual puzzles can be played by anyone from anywhere. It is completely free and no account is needed. By using the website's "Play As" feature, users can select their own desired number of pieces for each puzzle.
Take a brain break and give one of the puzzles a try!
Libraries can feel free to incorporate a link to the ND State Library's Jigsaw Planet account on their website, so it can be easily accessed by patrons. Alternatively, if your library has its own digital collection and would like to set up its own Jigsaw Planet account, contact Digital Initiatives if you need any help
LinktreeLinktree is a social media landing page that allows contributors to connect audiences to content with just one link. The site creates a landing page (or tree) that contains a list of links.
Digital Initiatives uses Linktree as a fun and convenient way to list important links in one location.
Wikimedia & WikipediaDigital Initiatives will occasionally contribute public domain or items without copyright restrictions to Wikimedia Commons from its digital collections. The items will then be inserted into applicable Wikipedia articles. To learn more about this project, visit the Wikipedia/ Wikimedia Commons page.