U.S. and U.N. to cooperate on global digital library

US AND UN TO COOPERATE ON GLOBAL DIGITAL LIBRARY
[SOURCE: Reuters]
The Library of Congress and UNESCO will cooperate to develop a digital library of works from around the world, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said on Wednesday. "The World Digital Library initiative will digitize unique and rare materials from libraries and other cultural institutions around the world and make them available free of charge on the Internet," Paris-based UNESCO said in a statement. It said material would include manuscripts, maps, books, musical scores, sound recordings, films, prints and photographs. The project, backed by Internet giant Google, was launched by the Library of Congress in 2005, with the aim of digitizing records of the great cultures of the world. The UNESCO statement said the prototype functioned in the six official languages of the United Nations -- Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish -- as well as Portuguese.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL1710306820071017

* U.S. Library of Congress introduces plans for world digital collection
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/17/business/library.php?WT.mc_id=rsstechnology