As of April 21, a vast multilingual collection of maps, rare books, sound recordings, photographs and other cultural and historical materials can be viewed with the click of a computer mouse. This is only the beginning of an ambitious project to share the contents of the world's libraries and cultural institutions. The World Digital Library, or WDL, is now online and offers free access to important, rare and interesting cultural treasures from around the planet.
The World Digital Library's Web site functions in seven major languages – users can conduct searches and read content in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese. All materials are presented in their original languages. For selected items, there are videos featuring discussions by expert curators.
More than two dozen libraries around the globe contributed 1,200 items from different eras and places. There are calligraphic works in Arabic, Persian, Chinese and Japanese from the eighth to the 19th centuries; early films by the Lumière brothers in France from the late 19th century, and Miroslav's Gospel, a Serbian illuminated manuscript created around 1180. The World Digital Library was launched April 21 at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, in Paris —four years after the project was proposed by James Billington, head of the U.S. Library of Congress. Billington's vision for the Web site sought to bring together in a single place the most interesting and important aspects of the world's cultures. Organizers hope increasing the quantity and diversity of cultural materials on the Internet in their original languages will help to improve international understanding across cultures.
Another important goal of the project is to help bridge the digital divide among countries. Universal access to information and knowledge is a fundamental principal for UNESCO. There are hundreds of thousands of libraries, and by putting their information online, people will be empowered. The World Digital Library creates almost unlimited opportunities for people to access information and knowledge.
The Web site prototype was developed by the Library of Congress, UNESCO and five other partners — the Bibliotheca Alexandrina of Alexandria, Egypt; the National Library of Brazil; the National Library of Egypt; the National Library of Russia; and the Russian State Library. Currently, the WDL has 32 partners, including institutions that contributed cultural content, funding or technological or other assistance. It hopes to expand participation to all UNESCO member countries.
