Library Blog Buzz

Today at the at the Paris headquarters of UNESCO, 32 institutions, including Library of Congress, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Iraqi National Library and Archives, National Archives and Records Administration, National Libraries of China, France, Russia, UNESCO, and Yale University Library will initiate the first World Digital Library, a "web site that features unique cultural materials from libraries and archives from around the world"

The WDL makes it possible to discover, study, and enjoy cultural treasures from around the world on one site, in a variety of ways. These cultural treasures include, but are not limited to, manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings.

Items on the WDL may easily be browsed by place, time, topic, type of item, and contributing institution, or can be located by an open-ended search, in several languages. Special features include interactive geographic clusters, a timeline, advanced image-viewing and interpretive capabilities. Item-level descriptions and interviews with curators about featured items provide additional information.

Information about the archived materials is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish ( the official languages of the United Nations). For more info browse the FAQs, watch the instructional videos, or read the press release.