European Digital Library in 2010?

By Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 4/1/2006

A single European web portal sporting six million books, films, and photos will be available for public access by 2010, the Associated Press reports. Dubbed the European Digital Library, the project reportedly “will link the existing Internet libraries of the European Union’s 25 member nations…any library, museum, or archive will be able to link its digital content to the central European library.” Britain’s Register added that “the ambitious scheme will involve establishing centers throughout Europe dedicated to rendering works in a digital format.

The program is being funded partially by the European Commission, which plans to establish a framework for setting up the library, which respects intellectual property rights. The Register claims that “opinions are divided on copyright issues, in particular between cultural institutions and rights holders.”