--- title: Plains to Peaks Collective Launches New Digital Heritage Platform description: Discover how the Plains to Peaks Collective is bringing 1.2 million digital heritage items from Colorado and Wyoming together with Veridian. image: https://veridiansoftware.com/hubfs/Projects/PPC_Tablet.png --- - [![facebook](https://veridiansoftware.com/hubfs/VeridianSoftware_July2025/images/facebook.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/VeridianSoftware) - [![linkedin](https://veridiansoftware.com/hubfs/VeridianSoftware_July2025/images/linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dlconsulting-veridian-software) --- [![Veridian](https://veridiansoftware.com/hubfs/VeridianSoftware_July2025/images/veridian-logo.svg "Veridian")](https://veridiansoftware.com) - [About](https://veridiansoftware.com/about) - [Accessibility](https://veridiansoftware.com/accessibility-statement-conformance-report) - [Services](https://veridiansoftware.com/services) - [Scanning](https://veridiansoftware.com/services/scanning) - [Data Conversion](https://veridiansoftware.com/services/data-conversion) - [Presentation Software](https://veridiansoftware.com/services/presentation-software) - [Projects](https://veridiansoftware.com/collections) - Knowledge Base - [Articles & Case Studies](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base) - [Archival Metadata Standards | Guide](https://veridiansoftware.com/archival-metadata-standards-guide) - [WCAG and Accessibility | Guide](https://veridiansoftware.com/wcag-accessibility-compliance-guide-acr-vpat-for-libraries-archives) - [Contact](https://veridiansoftware.com/contact) - - - - # How the Plains to Peaks Collective Is Bringing Colorado and Wyoming's Digital Heritage Together # How the Plains to Peaks Collective Is Bringing Colorado and Wyoming's Digital Heritage Together September 28, 2026 [Case Studies](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/tag/case-studies) [Platform Migration](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/tag/platform-migration) [Search & Discovery](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/tag/search-discovery) The Plains to Peaks Collective has launched a new Veridian-powered platform bringing together more than 1.2 million digital heritage items from over 60 organizations across Colorado and Wyoming. Discover how the project is improving collection discovery, research, accessibility, and engagement. From historical photographs and manuscripts to books, audio recordings, paintings, and cultural artifacts, the [Plains to Peaks Collective](https://www.plains2peaks.org/) connects collections held by institutions across both states, making it easier for researchers and the public to discover and explore the region's cultural heritage. Developed in partnership with the Veridian team, the new website gives PPC greater control over how its collections are presented and introduces new ways for visitors to engage with historical materials. The decision to migrate was also influenced by PPC's commitment to equitable representation, ensuring that collections from smaller and under-resourced organizations could be showcased alongside those of larger institutions, giving them greater opportunities to reach new audiences. [![The Plains to Peaks Collective website](https://veridiansoftware.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Projects/PPC_Tablet.png?width=1304&height=737&name=PPC_Tablet.png)](https://www.plains2peaks.org/) ## Building on an established partnership The Plains to Peaks Collective is a partnership between Colorado State Library and Wyoming State Library, bringing together digital collections from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage organizations across both states. Established in 2017 as the Colorado-Wyoming Service Hub of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), the collective began contributing to the national network in 2018 with seven participating institutions and approximately 46,000 digital items. Veridian already had established relationships with both state libraries through its work on the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection and Wyoming Newspapers. As the PPC team explains: > "Having worked with the Veridian team on the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection for over a decade, we knew from day one that our needs would be heard. Collaborating with them on our new platform was a seamless experience, and they executed the vision with complete timeliness and professionalism." Building on these relationships, the Veridian team worked with PPC to develop the new website, providing guidance on the migration of collection data and tailoring the Veridian platform to the collective's requirements. Jeffrey Ke, the Veridian team's project lead, describes their collaborative approach: > "Throughout the project, we set up regular meetings to make sure both parties remained on the same page and that the development and overall progress stayed on the right track." The project extends Veridian's involvement [beyond historical newspapers](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/veridian-for-non-newspapers) to support a broader regional digital heritage initiative. ## Bringing diverse collection metadata together Bringing together records from more than 60 organizations presented a particular challenge: differences in how individual institutions described and organized their collections. As Ethan Tattersall from the Veridian development team explains: > "Processing records from over 60 different institutions with variation in quality and conventions made aggregation of the data a challenge." To address this, the team normalized metadata fields and extracted information to support more precise filtering of search results. For example, location information was separated into individual fields for city, region, and country, allowing visitors to refine their searches using more specific geographic criteria. ## New features that enhance discovery, research, and engagement The new PPC website introduces features that help visitors explore historical materials, manage their research, and engage more deeply with the region's cultural heritage. The PPC team highlights the benefits of the new platform: > "The benefits of the new platform are already becoming clear, both in ways we anticipated and in ways we never expected. Having full control over our content, functionality, and discovery tools empowers us to work with the collection like never before—allowing us to spotlight new additions and give our partners greater opportunities to showcase their work." ### Showcasing collections and their custodians The new Collection Highlights feature gives PPC a dedicated space to showcase special collections, highlight the stewardship of cultural heritage materials by its partner institutions, and promote digital heritage initiatives across Colorado and Wyoming. By featuring selected stories and materials on the homepage, PPC can draw attention to materials visitors might not otherwise discover while raising the profile of the organizations responsible for them. [WordPress integration](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/integrating-wordpress-with-veridian-managing-editorial-content-in-digital-collections) also allows the Colorado team to customize multiple website pages and publish content updates directly, giving PPC greater control over how its collections and initiatives are presented. ### Encouraging exploration through topic-based browsing Not every visitor arrives at a digital collection with a specific item, person, or date in mind. Some may be exploring a broader historical subject, looking for research inspiration, or simply interested in learning more about a particular aspect of local history. PPC's new Browse by Topic feature provides an alternative starting point for these visitors. Categories ranging from Mining to Social Protest Movements allow visitors to explore materials by subject, creating new pathways for discovering relevant items across different collections. PPC also plans to introduce educational histories curated and written by its staff and partners. These will provide additional context for selected topics and help visitors develop a deeper understanding of the collections. ### Helping researchers organize and revisit their discoveries Historical research rarely ends with a single search. Researchers may return to a collection over several days or weeks, explore related subjects, compare material from different institutions, and record sources for future reference. The new PPC platform includes several tools designed to support this process. Visitors can register for a free account to save searches, review their viewing history, and access citations in MLA, APA, and Chicago formats. These tools help researchers revisit earlier findings, organize their work, and reference historical sources. The platform also allows visitors to provide feedback on individual items, helping PPC identify opportunities to improve the accuracy and representation of its records. ### Improving discoverability and accessibility Increasing the visibility of its collections and reaching new audiences were important objectives for PPC. The new platform incorporates improvements designed to help more people discover its collections when searching online, connecting researchers and the public with historical materials from across Colorado and Wyoming. Accessibility was also a key consideration. As part of the project, the Veridian team conducted a comprehensive accessibility audit of the new website against the [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines](https://veridiansoftware.com/accessibility-statement-conformance-report) (WCAG), helping identify and address barriers that could affect how people access and interact with the collections. Enhanced analytics give PPC greater insight into how visitors find and interact with its collections, helping inform future decisions about content, promotion, and audience engagement. ### Protecting collections while maintaining public access PPC provides free public access to its collections, making reliable website performance and responsible access management important considerations. The platform incorporates protective measures designed to reduce excessive automated activity, including the use of Cloudflare to help manage unwanted bot traffic. These measures support PPC's efforts to maintain public access while protecting the website and its underlying infrastructure from disruptive automated downloading and scraping activity. As automated tools and scraping techniques evolve, collection security remains an ongoing consideration for organizations providing access to large digital collections. ## Supporting the future of PPC The launch of the new website marks an important milestone for the Plains to Peaks Collective and its broader vision for expanding access to Colorado and Wyoming's cultural heritage. Building on the successful launch, PPC and the Veridian team are already exploring a potential second phase of development, with a focus on introducing additional features that support the collective's evolving needs and enhance the visitor experience. The project demonstrates how an established partnership can evolve to support new collection types, changing requirements, and opportunities for cultural heritage organizations to connect with wider audiences. --- ### **Managing a large or diverse digital collection?** Explore how Veridian can help your organization bring collections together, improve discovery, and develop an online experience tailored to your audiences. [![CONTACT US](https://hubspot-no-cache-ap1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/441834891/interactive-232441011680.png)](https://veridiansoftware.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKr%2BX74K5FrNptBwxroiN%2BuauRtUbTim%2BqTnD4aTW0CcvZ3MQH6lGaVXx4oVlH3xBqrFCoA5QOjwRyOYVT99ELRBgIS8NDqcDcwlCv9vwRjCXW0BG7neuqYYcRLvgOloOtr5686B8F85vrOBFpz%2Fmqy6J%2Fma3j5idyt3Nal1J45enT9y1NRMVDPRZwHlJcI0iHwQR32286T98Bu%2BA%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=232441011680&portalId=441834891) ### Related reading - [Case Study: Plains to Peaks—The First Inter-Collection Collaboration](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/case-study-plains-to-peaks-the-first-inter-collection-collaboration) — To build and launch the Plains to Peaks digital collection, there were two main tasks for the... - [Discovering Topics in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/discovering-topics-in-the-colorado-historic-newspapers-collection) — From gold mines to flying machines — see how the Colorado Historic Newspaper Collection’s new... - [AI Is Making Trust the Most Valuable Asset in Digital Collections](https://veridiansoftware.com/knowledge-base/ai-is-making-trust-the-most-valuable-asset-in-digital-collections) — AI can generate convincing historical stories in seconds, but it cannot replace transparency. 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