What is dLOC?

From its founding, the Digital Library of the Caribbean, or dLOC, has developed to provide access to collections, as well as a collaborative network to support Partners, scholars, educators, and broader publics.

collage of art, photos, and ephemera from dLOC

Getting Started

dLOC was established at an Association of Caribbean University Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) planning meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2004. Judith Rogers, director of the libraries at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), convened initial discussions and led development alongside the University of Florida, Florida International University, and six other founding Partners.

dLOC is a collection of collections

Over 4 million pages of newspapers, maps, photographs, correspondence, scholarship, and teaching resources are freely available online via dloc.com.

metal menorah placed at angle, with design of vase and stems ending in hearts — Partners have developed collections on Jewish history and culture across Latin America and the Caribbean. This Hanukkiyah, or menorah, was one of several objects returned to the Bridgetown Synagogue in Barbados as part of a major restoration effort.

sepia photo of woman wearing skirt suit and holding coat, smiling at camera outdoors — This 1946 photograph shows Hilda Bowen, future Director of Nursing for the Bahamas, at the airport before leaving to begin her training. (University of the Bahamas)

front page of issue of observador — DLOC includes about one million pages of newspapers in seven languages, spanning from the 18th to 21st centuries. The Aruban paper *Observador*, first published in 1935 and then from 1961-1965, was written almost entirely in Papiamento. (Biblioteca Nacional Aruba)

dLOC is a community-driven effort

With content shared by nearly 80 partners, dLOC’s collections depend on many individual and institutional efforts to process, digitize, and describe materials.

Two women in foreground examine document while two seated individuals work in background.

Sharing Partner Collections

As a digital library, dLOC can share collections without removing them from their home institutions. Shown here are efforts to scan materials from the Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí, the Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator in Miami, and the Archivo Histórico de Vieques.

individual with white glove pressing down pages of bound newspaper on overhead scanner

hands holding photo slide with iPad visible in corner

dLOC Partners

Learn more about the organizations that make dLOC possible by sharing collections. Created by former dLOC Fellow Dr. Stephanie Chancy.

row of seated people, most looking at laptops

dLOC brings people together

Through online workshops, professional development institutes, and outreach events, dLOC extends beyond collections to strengthen our community.

Photos courtesy Nadjah Ríos Villarini, Hadassah St. Hubert, and Tracy MacKay-Ratliff.