World Digital Library (WDL): Under the Auspices of the Library of Congress and UNESCO

Abstract

The article studies the original version of the multi-lingual World Digital Library (WDL), without which the establishment of the new information paradigm of digital libraries in the United States would be incomplete. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the Russian library community is offered specific experience of formation and functioning of one of the largest electronic libraries having unique a cultural status. The World Digital Library, with its international content and a broad program of international cooperation, is under the auspices of the US Library of Congress and UNESCO. Its main objective is to promote international and intercultural cooperation, to improve the quality and cultural diversity of the Internet and to contribute to education and science. For the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the WDL serves as a recommended for the library community model of high standards for metadata creating and search service organization, while respecting the priority of non-commercial access to databases. The article focuses on the history of the World Digital Library, the stages of its formation, as well as the development of the concept that became its basis. The focus on collecting digitized versions of the most va- luable materials on history and culture was tested within the framework of previous projects of the Library of Congress in particular, American Memory, the Meeting of Frontiers Russian-American project, the collection of materials on the development and settlement of Siberia and the Russian Far East, as well as Alaska and the North-West of the United States. One of the strategic tasks of the WDL resources management is to establish full parity for representatives of different countries, not only in terms of potential access to content through multilingualism and a unified information structure, but also taking into account their equal involvement in the real process of familiarizing with the treasures of world culture. The article analyzes in detail the structural principles of the WDL organization, as well as the dynamics of its cooperation with partner libraries. Particular attention is paid to assistance programs for partner libraries in developing countries.