The TIDES (Teaching, Images and Digital ExperienceS) Program demonstrates that digital projects are successful through the creation of digital assets that are truly useful to target audiences in their own environments.  Programmatic feedback data is gathered through extensive needs assessment activities in the form of interviews, surveys, partnership meetings with other digital initiatives, round table discussions, and an active online learning community.  This data directs the development of the TIDES Program.  Through the TIDES Digital Learning Consortium of  libraries, archives, museums, wildlife reserves, public schools, and university departments, the TIDES Program weaves web 2.0 conventions, web design, project imaging, project metadata, streaming video, resource translation, K-12 curriculum creation, and information literacy resources into a truly useful product for K-16 teachers, students, and other researchers.  Alliances with teachers, scientists, and cultural heritage professionals from Texas and Mexico, for the purpose of creating a rich bilingual, interactive image and video database of learning resources and curriculum materials to support the educational and cultural needs of Texas’ K-16 teachers and students, are a key component of the program.