Portfolio
CAILLA Database: University of Chicago
The Challenge
A team of social science researchers at the University of Chicago were starting an ambitious project to preserve and catalog hundreds of pieces of fiction written in endangered indigenous languages. But without a technological framework, their information was disorganized and had no way to share the fruits of their research with others.
Our Solution
We built a comprehensive, web-based locus for collecting catalog data and scanned copies of the works. Different access levels for researchers, academic users, and the general public ensure that copyrighted or sensitive works can be kept private, and the entire effort is coordinated in tandem with an academic library which holds physical copies of many of the works.
Results
Members of the research team can access and update the data from anywhere, whether they are acquiring new material in Latin America or in their office in the States. Digital scans of the works ensure broad access to users in any country, while helping safeguard the paper originals. CAILLA both preserves these ephemeral works for the future and allows more people to find and use these books and magazines in the here and now.