Digital Libraries

Towson U Places Digital Collections onto Quartex

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 02/12/21

Maryland's Towson University has moved its digital archives to Quartex, a hosted application that enables libraries to share and showcase their digital collections.

Towson has placed 12 collections from its Special Collections & University Archives on the platform, covering five subjects: university history, Jewish studies, performing arts, World War II and the history of education in Maryland. Now, much of the material will be made accessible to anybody online.

Among the materials are these kinds of digital files:

• Copies of Towson commencement programs, going back to 1866;
• Nuremberg Trial papers from Paul H. Gannt, a member of the American military prosecution teams;
• Recordings from an oral history project of retired faculty;
• Photos from the Lena C. Van Bibber Collection of cuneiform clay tablets; and
• Images of the objects found within the Louis Rosenthal Miniature Sculpture Collection, the bulk of which consists of miniature bronze sculptures that are historical, mythological, biblical, satirical and/or whimsical in nature.

"It was important for us to find a platform that could showcase the diverse range of content we hold in an easily searchable way, makes the most of the rich material and is easy for our team to maintain and update," said Ashley Todd-Diaz, assistant university librarian for Towson's Special Collections & University Archives, in a statement. "Quartex allows us to do all of that and with a level of personalization that means our digital archives look and feel like a true Towson experience."

The digital collection is openly available on the Towson website.