The World Digital Library, a website offering free access to antique an ancient rare books, maps, manuscripts, films and photographs from across the globe and throughout time, launched Tuesday at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Yahoo Tech page reports.
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that uses Education, Social and Natural Science, Culture and Communication as a means to build peace in the world.
Bringing together priceless material, from ancient Chinese or Persian calligraphy to early Latin American photography, it is the world’s third major digital library, after Google Book Search and the EU’s new project, Europeana.
Libraries and cultural institutions from Brazil to Britain, China, Egypt, France, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States contributed content — on a non-exclusive basis — as well as expertise. And the world library is available in seven core languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish — with additional material in other languages.
UNESCO along with 32 partner institutions helped to create this brainchild of James Billington, the Librarian of Congress, (the world’s biggest library), who co-chaired the official launch alongside UNESCO director general Koichiro Matsuura. They hope to build partnerships with 60 countries by year end, with Morocco, Uganda, Mexico and Slovakia already signed up to work with the project.
By drawing on content from libraries and archives worldwide, it aims to reduce the rich-poor digital divide , expand “non-Western” content on the web, promote better understanding between cultures and provide a global teaching resource– a great way to help the Internet live up to the terms world wide web and information superhighway, right?
Tags: Digital Divide, Information Superhighway, Internet Speed, World Wide Web