* French answer to Google library *
France is responding to Google's online library project with its own version. Click Online reports on the push to preserve French culture.
Full story:
France is responding to Google's online library project with its own version. Click Online reports on the push to preserve French culture.
Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/programmes/click_online/4619019.stm
[excerpt]
With the Google Print project planning to put 4.5 billion pages of English onto the web, France has decided to do something similar with French, though on a smaller scale.
In fact, France started digitalising parts of its national collection as long as 13 years ago, and in 1997 they began to put this collection online.
Catherine Lupovici, head of the digital library department at the BNF, says: "It was a project with the new library to create a network that would be available for scholars, representing an encyclopaedic French library of French culture."
The project they call Gallica has already put some 80,000 works and 70,000 images online, and it is currently working its way through the BNF's basement of 19th century newspapers.
But it is a long way off from the scope of Google Print, which has got those at the top of the BNF wondering how France can respond to what they see as a cultural challenge from across the pond.
RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
La Bibliothèque Nationale de France
http://www.bnf.fr/
Gallica
http://gallica.bnf.fr/
BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE
Origins in the 15th century
Receives copies of all printed French works
Collection now includes more than 12 million books and manuscripts, 500,000 periodicals, 800,000 medals and coins, and 650,000 maps and prints
[excerpt]
With the Google Print project planning to put 4.5 billion pages of English onto the web, France has decided to do something similar with French, though on a smaller scale.
In fact, France started digitalising parts of its national collection as long as 13 years ago, and in 1997 they began to put this collection online.
Catherine Lupovici, head of the digital library department at the BNF, says: "It was a project with the new library to create a network that would be available for scholars, representing an encyclopaedic French library of French culture."
The project they call Gallica has already put some 80,000 works and 70,000 images online, and it is currently working its way through the BNF's basement of 19th century newspapers.
But it is a long way off from the scope of Google Print, which has got those at the top of the BNF wondering how France can respond to what they see as a cultural challenge from across the pond.
RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
La Bibliothèque Nationale de France
http://www.bnf.fr/
Gallica
http://gallica.bnf.fr/
BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE
Origins in the 15th century
Receives copies of all printed French works
Collection now includes more than 12 million books and manuscripts, 500,000 periodicals, 800,000 medals and coins, and 650,000 maps and prints
