Purpose of the HDA

The Hekman Digital Archive (HDA) was created in order to facilitate the development, acquisition, and distribution of high-quality digital content for the benefit of academic scholarship at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary.

Selection decisions for HDA content is based foremost on the value it provides for the academic programs of the College and the Seminary. In consultation with Heritage Hall, consideration is also given to the archival and preservation needs of the College and the Seminary. Departments that are interested in creating a Digital Archive collection should contact the Electronic Services Librarian.

Archiving Digital Files

A Digital Archiving system such as the HDA is designed to store images in much the same way that a library catalog stores bibliographic records. A digital file, instead of a physical book, is extensively described with cataloging data called metadata. These metadata records, as well as the digital items which they describe, are linked together in the HDA and made available for viewing on the web.

The HDA adds value to digital files by adding metadata which is easily editable and searchable, a feature critical to both academic scholarship as well as preservation considerations. In this regard, the HDA is not merely a server or a Digital Management system. Digital Management, as opposed to a Digital Archiving, focuses more on allowing a group of users to view, convert, manage, catalog, and share images over a networked environment.

The HDA and Calvin

The HDA was created to provide greater, more thorough access to existing and potential digital collections across Calvin's campus. Typically, a digital collection will be considered for inclusion in the HDA if it supports an academic program, and there are no copyright restrictions. To accommodate copyright considerations, collections can be placed either in the general public view (log in as a guest), or in restricted access (KnightVision ID and password). There is only one HDA, but the collections that are displayed to the user depends on how they logged into the archive.