The World Digital Library (WDL) was inaugurated at Unesco's Paris headquarters on Tuesday.
This global digital library will provide a one-stop shop for researchers, teachers and schoolchildren seeking to find items on one topic together in one place.
The launch took place at an event co-hosted by Unesco director-general Ko"ichiro Matsuura and US Librarian of Congress James H Billington. Directors of the partner institutions were on hand to present the project to ambassadors, ministers, delegates, and special guests attending the semi-annual meeting of Unesco's executive board.
“Unesco welcomes the creation of the World Digital Library which reflects the values and priorities of our organisation,” said Matsuura. “WDL offers an invaluable platform for the free flow of information, for international solidarity, for the celebration of cultural diversity and for the building of inclusive knowledge societies. With projects like the digital library, the cultural and societal potential of digital technologies come into their own.”
Billington says the goal of the digital library is to provide a free, easy-to-navigate site with a collection of primary documents on all subjects and authoritative explanations from the world's leading libraries. It brings together cultural heritage that's scattered around the world."
Humanity's earliest, online
The site has put up the Japanese work considered the first novel in history (The Tale of Genji), the Aztecs' first mention of the Christ child in the new world, and the works of ancient Arab scholars, each flanked by commentary.
Other works on the site include a 1562 map of the new world, mathematical texts in Arabic, and Chinese oracle bones inscribed with writing.
"These primary documents of culture are one of a kind," says Billington.
According to Billington, the site, which currently holds some 1 200 artefacts, will continue to grow as more libraries and institutions join the project.
Developing digital resources
The site is modelled after the Library of Congress's American Memory project, which now has 11 million history-related items online. WDL was proposed by Billington, who suggested establishing a world digital library to Unesco in June 2005.
Billington says an Internet-based library will help bridge the global digital divide as new technologies continue to be developed, improving workflow and reducing the time elapsed between content selection and availability on the site.
The WDL supports Unesco's mission of building capacity in developing countries, and intends working with Unesco partners and external funders to establish digital conversion centres worldwide. These centres will produce content for the library as well as for other national and international initiatives.
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