The program grew out of a test, called the American Memory pilot, at 44 sites across the country. In 1990-94, the Library distributed CD-ROMs containing electronic versions of its primary sources to schools and libraries across the country to determine whether there was interest in using them. The test showed that people of all ages used the materials and that K-12 students were the heaviest users. Thus in 1994 the Library began placing its American Memory collections on the Internet. These collections make available the most important and rare materials of the Library relating to American history. Now, more than two dozen collections are available. The newest collections offer materials relating to Abraham Lincoln, including the Emancipation Proclamation in the president's own hand;
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