California Revealed California State Library Digitization and Preservation Program

About California Revealed

California Revealed is a statewide digitization and preservation initiative administered by the California State Library. The program helps public libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other heritage organizations across California digitize, preserve, and provide free online access to archival materials documenting the state's history, arts, and cultures.

History and Founding

California Revealed was launched in 2010 as a digitization initiative focused on audiovisual recordings. In 2016 its scope was expanded to include print-based media. The program has since grown to serve over 400 partner organizations and has preserved more than 170,000 objects. Funding has historically come from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered in California by the State Librarian. In 2025 federal IMLS funding was disrupted by the Trump administration's actions toward the agency, creating uncertainty about future grant cycles.

Collections and Holdings

California Revealed's collections span motion picture film, video tapes, audio recordings, newspapers, scrapbooks, photographs, microfilm, manuscripts, digital files, and more. Partner organizations include public libraries, local historical societies, tribal nations, and community groups from across California. Materials are notable for their coverage of underrepresented communities and local histories. Holdings are made accessible through the California Revealed website, the Internet Archive, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), Calisphere, and WorldCat.

Access and Usage

All digitized materials are freely available online at californiarevealed.org. The program also provides digital preservation services, Memory Lab digitization labs at public libraries, and training in archival practices for partner organizations. California Revealed also supports cataloging, community archiving, and K-12 curriculum development tied to digitized collections.

Funding and governance

California Revealed is administered by the California State Library under the authority of the State Librarian, a position appointed by the Governor of California. The program's most recently published funding description credits support from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the federal Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian's office. Earlier program materials published on californiarevealed.org also credited major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation, together with donations from partner organizations and community members. The State Library's own mission commits it, among other things, to preserving and providing access to California's history for current and future generations.

Leadership

California Revealed is administered under the authority of the California State Librarian. Greg Lucas has served as California's State Librarian — the 25th person to hold the office — since his appointment by Governor Jerry Brown on March 25, 2014. Before his appointment, Lucas spent nearly two decades as a Sacramento-based political journalist, including as Capitol bureau chief for the San Francisco Chronicle.