Since 1995, the Library of Virginia’s Digital Library Program (DLP) has created digital images of more than 700,000 original document pages, 1,100 maps, 36,000 photographs, and 1.6 million catalog card images, and has created 32 bibliographic databases with more than 330,000 MARC records, 50 electronic card indexes, and numerous electronic finding aids. The bulk of the DLP’s funding comes from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) federal program, but in 1997 the Library received a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to catalog and digitize the Virginia Historical Inventory Project (VHI). After an introduction to the DLP and VHI, this article will discuss the costs and benefits of creating the online version and will compare the one‐time development cost and subsequent delivery of the digital resource to the long‐term costs and benefits of providing access to these materials via traditional means.

Explains the development of a project by the Library of Virginia to provide universal Internet access to the state‘s vast treasury of historical documents, records, finding aids and photographs through the process of digitization. Considers selection criteria, the HTML gateway, catalogues and databases, the family bible project, electronic card indexes, microfilm digitization, colonial records and newspaper‐based history. Outlines ongoing and future projects.