Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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• Are all historical digitized resources available in the NLM Digital Collections?
• What type of software was used to build the Digital Collections?
• Do the resources have permanent URLs?
• Are the resources copyrighted?
• Do I need to download any plug-ins to view the resources?

Are all historical digitized resources available in the NLM Digital Collections?

The NLM Digital Collections includes Cholera Online and The Public Health Film Goes to War! from the History of Medicine Division. Additional collections and resources will be added to the Print Materials and Films and Videos as they are digitized. You may access additional Digital Collections and resources at Online Exhibitions and Digital Projects.

What type of software was used to build the Digital Collections?

The NLM Digital Collections repository was built using software developed by NLM, open source software, and commercial plug-ins for the front-end access and back-end storage. The software includes:

• Fedora Commons Repository Software
• Muradora, a "front-end" for Fedora, created by Macquarie University
• Northwestern University Book Viewer, part of the Northwestern Books project
• NLM Video Player developed by NLM’s Office of Computer and Communications Systems (OCCS)
• Los Alamos National Laboratory’s  djatoka JPEG2000 Server
• Cooliris Wall, a freely-available Flash-based product for displaying image content.

See Development of a Digital Repository for NLM Digitized Collections and Born-Digital Resources for additional information on the development of functional requirements and the selection of digital repository software for this project.

Do the resources have permanent URLs?

Every resource has a permanent URL which includes the NLM Unique Identifier (NLM UID). The base of the permanent URL is "http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/" and the NLM UI is appended to the end of the URL. For example, the link for the video "Dental health (1945)" is http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101306230. The permanent URLs will always redirect to the URL of the object's Resource Record page.

Are the resources copyrighted?

All content in Digital Collections is in the public domain and therefore freely available to view using the built-in Book Viewer and Video Player. Files are also available for downloading directly via the Resource Record page. Additional information about copyright and fair use of NLM materials is available at NLM Copyright Information and Patron Guide to Copyright and Historical Materials.

Do I need to download any plug-ins to view the resources?

You must download and install the Adobe^® Reader and Adobe^®Flash Player to view resources online. The Adobe Reader allows you to view the PDF documents. The Adobe Flash Player is used to view the Book Viewer and Video Player as well as the Featured Resources Wall on the Digital Collections Home page.