The EU recently launched its Europeana digital library, an online digest of Europe’s cultural heritage. Europeana complements other online programs offered by individual European countries.
The Internet and digitalisation techniques “enable a Czech student to browse the British library without going to London, or an Irish art lover to get close to the Mona Lisa without queuing at the Louvre,” said Viviane Reding, EU commissioner responsible for new technologies.
Users can find major literary works like Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, or masterpieces such as Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” or the manuscripts of composers including Beethoven.
Staff have around two million digital items online from the public domain.
By 2010, staff plan to have 10 million works available, an impressive number, yet a mere start compared to the 2.5 billion books in Europe’s more common libraries.
Staff plan to have four percent of European books online by 2012.
TAblet PC and other mobile learners will find this resource useful for learning-on-demand as well as by classroom instruction.
