2025 Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference and Minnesota Digital Library

Murphy Library at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse officially launched the Driftless River Initiative (DRI) in the spring of 2024 with the aim of utilizing digital collections in harnessing the collective informational impact of unique and rare library collections on the historical-, contemporary-, and future-research related to the Upper Mississippi River and the Driftless (unglaciated) Region of western Wisconsin. This exciting Initiative is rooted in the interdisciplinary approach to creating new knowledge through making information accessible and discoverable; preserving that information for future iterations of inquiry; and facilitating new connections between researchers, disciplines, and institutions to further enhance our knowledge and understanding of the natural environment, Wisconsin’s freshwater resources, and the mutual impact these unique geomorphic features and our presence have on each other. This compelling project is unique as it is built upon collections, some that have existed at Murphy Library for decades, that are seemingly distinct, yet all are connected through the Mississippi River and/or the unglaciated region of western Wisconsin; through employing a digital collections infrastructure, the project allows us to rethink collection building and how to enhance engagement with the materials, both digitally and physically. This presentation will discuss the circumstances leading up to launch of the DRI at Murphy Library, where the project currently stands, and what the hopes are for the project moving forward.