The World Digital Library (Powerpoint)

Abstract

The World Digital Library (WDL) was proposed by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington in June 2005. The project aims to build upon the experience of the Library of Congress and other national libraries and cultural institutions to develop a repository of significant primary materials representing cultures from across the globe. It will focus on digitizing unique and rare material, including manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, sound recordings, films, prints and photographs, architectural drawings, and other materials. It will make these materials accessible on-line, free-of-charge, through a multilingual interface. The presentation features a prototype of the WDL presented to the UNESCO General Conference in October 2007.