Digital Repository Top 5: the most popular newly digitized materials of 2024

As we near the end of 2024, we’re sharing the most popular items that the State Publications Library added to our digital repository over the past year. Our digital repository houses thousands of full-text state publications that are freely available for anyone to explore.

The list below shares the top 5 most popular items that were added to our digital repository in 2024 but are not necessarily newly published items.

Dominguez-Escalante Trail bicentennial interpretive master plan and final report (The Dominguez-Escalante State/Federal Bicentennial Commission, 1976)

This document describes the effort to build interpretive panels and campsite shelters along the Dominguez-Escalante Trail to commemorate the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante Expedition. This historic expedition was completed by two Franciscan friars to explore the land that is now Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. While the expedition failed in its purpose to find a route to connect the Spanish missions in Santa Fe and Monterey, their efforts expanded European settlers’ knowledge of the geography of the Four Corners region. The Commission’s final report contains information intended for the trail’s interpretive signage, prototype designs for camping shelters, recommendations for implementing the program.

CDOT flex-post rockfall fence (University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado Department of Transportation, 1991)

Have you ever been driving along one of Colorado’s highways and noticed netting or fencing along the side of a cliff or mountain? Rockfall is a significant threat to safety on Colorado’s roads so the Department of Transportation (CDOT) invests in research to find the most effective methods of preventing rocks and boulders from falling into our roads. This report describes field testing and analysis of one method, a mesh fence with flexible posts that is patented by CDOT.

Colorado universal preschool recommendations (Colorado Department of Early Childhood, 2022)

Following the passage of 2020’s Proposition EE establishing a universal preschool program in Colorado, the Early Childhood Leadership Commission, the Transition Advisory Group, and other stakeholders began working to figure out how to implement the program. Along with providing information about the importance of high quality preschool to students’ future academic outcomes, this report outlines their vision for universal preschool in Colorado and their suggestions for the infrastructure investment necessary to achieve it. The plan outlined in this document was realized in 2023 with the launch of Colorado’s universal preschool program.

Fertilizing potatoes (Colorado State University Extension, 2014)

This document is part of the Colorado State University Extension’s popular series of fact sheets focusing on gardening and agriculture. Colorado’s sandy soils are perfect for growing a variety of potatoes, although the crop yield often requires using fertilizer to boost the soil’s nitrogen levels. This fact sheet provides information on sampling soil for nitrogen levels, suggested nitrogen rates for different types of potatoes, and methods of applying fertilizers.

Department of Early Childhood transition plan (Colorado Department of Early Childhood, 2021)

In 2021, the Colorado legislature passed House Bill 21-1304 to establish the Department of Early Childhood. This department focuses on improving the care and education of our youngest Coloradans. HB21-1304 also created a Transition Working Group to create a plan to guide the activities of the new department. This transition plan contains recommendations for creating essential organizational structures, guidance for working with the General Assembly, and suggestions for securing necessary funding.

We hope you found as much fascinating information in our digital collection as we did in 2024. More of our frequently used new digital publications are listed below. Keep an eye out for even more great information that will be added to the digital repository in 2025!

• A 50-state policy scan on the role of state procurement policy in buying Colorado food (Colorado Food Advisory Council, 2021)
• Guidebook to Denver for the handicapped (Governor’s Committee to Promote Opportunities for the Handicapped, 1973)
• 2023 sunset review, State Plumbing Board (Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Office of Policy, Research, and Regulatory Reform, 2023)
• Results of historical research concerning the history of the Grand Junction Indian School (for submission to Colorado State Historic Fund and Office of the State Archaeologist, 2023)
• Joint Technology Committee : annual report to the Colorado General Assembly (Colorado Legislative Council, 2024)
• History, ozone strategy development (Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, 2007)
• Five-year IT roadmap, Department of Personnel & Administration (Governor’s Office of Information Technology, 2019)
• Sample goals and objectives for learners who are blind/visually impaired (Colorado Exceptional Student Services Unit, 2005)
• Five-year IT roadmap, Department of Local Affairs (Governor’s Office of Information Technology, 2019)
• Five-year IT roadmap, Department of Natural Resources (Governor’s Office of Information Technology, 2019)
• Five-year IT roadmap, Department of Public Health & Environment (Governor’s Office of Information Technology, 2019)
• Colorado inmate population as of Dec 31, 2018 (Colorado Department of Corrections, 2019)