The World Digital Library

The World Digital Library makes available, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world. Launched in 2009, its principal objectives are to promote international and intercultural understanding, and expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the internet. These cultural treasures include manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings. The library was developed by a team at the U.S. Library of Congress, with contributions by partner institutions in many countries, the support of UNESCO, and the financial support of a number of companies and private foundations. The collection is browsable by place, time, topic, type of item, and institution.