The World Digital Library Initiative

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The World Digital Library Initiative

• John Van Oudenaren
• Library of Congress
• Presentation to the Third SEEDI Conference
• Cetinje, Montenegro
• September 13, 2007

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The World Digital Library Initiative
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS

• Vision
• To create a digital library of significant
  original materials representing all of the major
  cultures from across the globe and make it
  accessible to students, educators, and the
  general public
• Objectives
• Promote international and inter-cultural
  understanding and awareness
• Provide a resource for educators that matches
  the needs of a globalized, wireless world
• Display rare and unique content of interest to
  scholars and the general public

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The World Digital Library Partners
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
UNESCO National libraries and other cultural
institutions IFLA The technology community
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The World Digital Library Dates and Milestones
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Librarian of Congress proposes World Digital
Library to the U.S. National Commission for
UNESCO Google gives Library of Congress 3
million for planning phase of the
project Conclusion of agreements with partner
institutions in Brazil, Russia, Egypt Site mockup
and draft proposal presented to UNESCO in Paris
formation of Working Groups Conclusion of
agreements with UNESCO and with additional
partner institutions WDL prototype to be
unveiled at UNESCO General Conference,
Paris Completion of WDL plan and full-scale
launch of the project
June 2005 November 2005 2006 December
2006 2007 October 2007 September 2008
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The World Digital Library Implementation
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Not just a big website! Three pillars Content
acquisition Construction of a sustainable
network for production and distribution of
content The web site www.worlddigitallibrary.o
rg
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Pillar I Content Acquisition
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Key objective Work with partners to digitize
content in places where little or no scanning is
being done bring to light hidden
treasures Selection Working Group to establish
criteria Maintain and build upon existing
scanning operations Cairo Rio de
Janeiro Moscow St. Petersburg
Novosibirsk (mobile scanning team for Siberia)
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Pillar I Content Acquisition
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Establish additional scanning operations
Africa Central America The
Caribbean Other Pursue other methods of
content acquisition - Re-purposing of
already-digitized material All arrangements are
non-exclusive (content can be on WDL, national,
regional, other projects) WDL-IFLA Best
Practices Working Group established to set
guidelines for new digitization
efforts (Meetings Washington, May 2007 Durban,
August 2007)
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Pillar II. Construction of a Sustainable
International Network
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Key objective Create and distribute content in a
way that makes the most sense in terms of cost
and technical factors and in ways that build
capacity in the developing world Network is both
a technical infrastructure and a community of
institutions, scholars, curators, linguists,
technologists Technical Working Group to
establish standards, architecture (first meeting
Stanford University, April 2007)
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Pillar II. Construction of a Sustainable
International Network
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Network nodes for creation of the World Digital
Library digitization of content
cataloging translation development of
editorial and educational content
Network nodes for distribution central
site mirrored sites First mirrored sites
Washington, DC and Alexandria, Egypt
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Pillar III The Web Site
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS

• Key objective Present cultural content in a way
  that appeals to (and thus will be used by) the
  new generation of Internet users, both in the
  United States and internationally
• Prototype under development
• Multilingual English, Arabic, Chinese, French,
  Russian, Spanish, Portuguese
• High quality user experience
• Fast, seamless
• Ability to search and browse a large volume of
  content

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Pillar III The Web Site
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The LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Multi-format manuscripts maps
photographs, prints, postcards rare books
sound and video clips 3-D presentations of
architectural monuments Special features with
experts, scholars, curators Educational content
for teachers and students Social networking
features Adjustments to developing-country
conditions low bandwidth and mobile device
solutions
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Pillar III The Website

• Partners in developing the prototype
• Russian State Library
• National Library of Egypt
• National Library of Brazil
• National Library of Russia
• Bibliotheca Alexandrina
• Other contributors
• Google, Apple, Intel
• OCLC
• Stanford, University of Maryland

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The World Digital Library InitiativeNext Steps

• Solicit feedback on the prototype
• Draft a multilateral charter and establish a WDL
  organization with a board and members
• Enlist additional members from all continents,
  cultures, content
• Develop the website
• Develop the network
• Secure additional funding
• Governments
• Foundations
• Companies

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