The digitization (is that a real word?) of the Salem Witch Trials online was pretty amazing to me. The historical importance is broad, including books and letters, documents of all types (court files, quarterly reports, etc.) maps, and the more important individuals involved.
The University of Virginia have compiled together a collection of information that reminds me of our class discussions on a digital library for universities. The objects scanned and transcribed online are free and accessible--but the actual records would have taken a great deal of time to track down in a library archive. The cohesiveness of the web collection is user friendly and you have unlimited access, rather than be subjected to a protective librarian or archivist with the fragile records. There are even links to more online archives connected to the site.
I see the Salem Witch Trials online database as a progressive step towards a digital library.
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