To develop an immersive, user-centered information portal, to support the New Jersey learner, through a collaboration among cultural heritage institutions that supports preservation of the past; new access strategies for the future; and active engagement with resources at the local and the global level, for shared access, local ownership.

NJDH accomplishes its mission through several strategic objectives:

• Preserving the state's cultural resources and artifacts for use by current and future generations of citizens, educators, researchers and students through rigorous digitization strategies and sophisticated storage and access technologies. Resources are available 24/7 and maintained in perpetuity.
• Developing an engaging web site and simple, effective access strategies that make all resources readily available to every citizen, while promoting the local ownership of resources by individual cultural heritage organizations.
• Actively promoting and facilitating participation by any New Jersey organization that owns and makes available cultural heritage information resources.
• Integrating cultural heritage resources into the educational experiences of 21st century New Jersey learners, including K-12, higher education and lifelong learners through tools and resources to create and use educational activities that bring New Jersey history and culture to life.

The New Jersey Digital Highway is being developed by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The principal grant partner organizations who are collaborating to develop the New Jersey Digital Highway are:

• Rutgers University Libraries
• New Jersey State Library
• New Jersey Division of Archives & Records Management
• The New Jersey Historical Society
• American Labor Museum/Botto House National Landmark

NJDH was conceived, promoted and developed as a grass roots effort by cultural heritage organizations throughout New Jersey. NJDH's governance reflects its broad-based support and collaborative structure.

Oversight and strategic direction for NJDH are provided by the New Jersey Digital Highway Statewide Advisory Committee.

Ongoing management and decision-making for NJDH are provided by the NJDH Steering Committee.

NJDH ongoing development and functional management are provided by working groups consisting of information professionals from archives, libraries and museums around the state.

The heart of NJDH is its digital collection, reflecting the richness and diversity of New Jersey's historical and cultural heritage. Collections in NJDH are contributed by its collection partners-the libraries, museums, archives, historical societies and other organizations who share resources with users within the state and around the world through NJDH.

NJDH collection partners are a professional community with a shared interest in building digital collections that preserve unique cultural and historical information for current and future generations of New Jersey citizens, educators, students and scholars. NJDH provides opportunities for collection partners to learn and to share what they learn and develop with their colleagues to pursue this common goal.

Becoming an NJDH Collection Partner

NJDH is eager to add more collection partners and digital primary sources to its collection. The NJDH Steering Committee is currently revising and streamlining the process to participate in NJDH. Please be patient with us and visit this space for updates.