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title: "Cambridge Digital Collection Platform"
canonical: "https://community.cdcp.info/space/CDCP/1900753/Cambridge%20Digital%20Collection%20Platform"
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The Cambridge Digital Collection Platform (CDCP) is the suite of software and tools developed for the Cambridge University Digital Library ([cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk](https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/) ) since 2010. The first phase of development of the digital library platform was made possible with funding from Dr Leonard Polonsky. This funding enabled the Library to develop its technical infrastructure and create significant content in areas of faith and sciences. Since then, the Cambridge Digital Library has continued to develop and evolve with the adoption of IIIF and a range of features and enhancements.

In 2018, following discussions and expressions of interest from a number of colleagues in other university libraries about our digital library platform, we held a number of workshops to discuss opportunities for working together, of making the code available as well as the potential for sharing development and future visioning for the digital library platform. 

This resulted in the partnerships with University of Manchester and University of Lancaster who implemented their digital collections platforms in 2020 and 2021 (see [digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk](https://digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk/) and [digitalcollections.lancaster.ac.uk](http://digitalcollections.lancaster.ac.uk/) . Following collaboration and work with these institutions, the code for the digital collections platform has been released as [open-source code available in GitHub](https://github.com/cambridge-collection/cambridge-collection.github.io) under [Apache 2.0 License](https://github.com/cambridge-collection/cambridge-collection.github.io/blob/main/LICENSE).

Beyond the excellent capabilities of the platform to present beautiful high-resolution images, the ability to present in-depth scholarly research outcomes, and ease of use designed to engage the user in the collections, the platform's key strength is that it can be used as the start of many collaborative initiatives - it is much more than just a presentation end-point.

Since Cambridge University shared the platform with Manchester and Lancaster, the three institutions have worked together in partnership to build a community around the digital collections platform. This partnership goes beyond the shared use of free code and shared development - it engages our curators, metadata specialists and developers who meet to share expertise and experiences of digital scholarship and digital collections.

Use of shared infrastructure, standards such as IIIF and the implementation of the Consolidated TEI metadata standard used across our institutions brings with it opportunities for sharing and future research collaborations both within and between our research communities, and for wider public engagement with our unique and distinct collections.


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