By Leah Duncan,
Digital Humanities Librarian
Davidson College
Elisa Naquin
Metadata and Digital Strategies Librarian
Louisiana State University
Abstract
When libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage organizations facilitate community-centered programming, their funding and budgeting models should be intentionally aligned with inclusive and relational values. The Louisiana Digital Library (LDL) is a statewide platform for sharing Louisiana’s digital cultural heritage, and over thirty institutions contribute collections to the LDL. Funding from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) allowed a project team at Louisiana State University to host the inaugural LDL Fest, a three-day event that brought together a community of digital library administrators and users. In addition to the LEH grant, the project team sought additional contributions from within the LDL community while forgoing corporate sponsorship. By sacrificing a potential source of funding, the project team ensured that people who build and use the LDL would be centered in every aspect of the three-day LDL Fest; that commitment also guided the team’s allocation of funds. By insisting that the LDL’s community-centric values direct the LDL Fest’s sponsorship model and budgeting priorities, the project team ensured that the flow of money honored, rather than distracted from, the community that the LDL serves.