BLM launches an enhanced library of digital images

In a growing trend of federal agencies offering more Web 2.0 and online content, the Bureau of Land Management recently launched an enhanced online that contains thousands of digital photographs of landscapes and historical images of the American West.Originally established in 2001, the library was upgraded and enhanced to work within the agency’s redesigned Web site. The library contains more than 60,000 images of public lands, mostly in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The historical photos include some that date to the early surveys of the West. The library also features images from national monuments and conservation areas, in addition to images of the various resources that BLM manages, such as grazing livestock, mineral development, energy production, wild horses and burros, and cultural sites.“It has been one of the BLM’s most popular Internet resources for graphic artists, educators, Web designers and news organizations,” said Jeff Krauss, chief of the agency’s Public Affairs Division.The library is searchable, and visitors can download the photos in a variety of sizes. A shopping cart feature allows users to collect several images and then download them in a compressed folder.Many of the images may be used in print and electronic publications without further authorization from the BLM.