MEPs back European digital library plan

By Simon Aughton

Posted on 30 Jul 2007 at 15:34

The European Parliament has backed a plan to create a European digital library.

The parliament's culture and education committee said that the European Commission's plan would improve access to Europe's cultural heritage, particularly by ensuring multilingual access to its archive.

"For a large number of people, particularly young people, the internet has become one of the principal means of access to knowledge," the committee said. Therefore "it is important to make use of the digital technology to promote, safeguard and disseminate the wealth and diversity of the European cultural heritage as widely as possible."

It said that, in the long term, the aim should be to establish a tool that covers all categories of cultural material, including books, audio and video. But initially it should focus on text material that is free of copyright.

The committee added that existing initiatives in Europe that connect libraries and give access to national European library collections should contribute to the creation of the European digital library.

But where the money will come from is not so obvious. The committee said that "new methods of financing must be developed" that include partnerships with the private sector.

The European Commission's proposals were published in September 2005 after six member states called for the creation of a digital archive.