World Libraries: National Library of Latvia (NLL) launches digitization project

The National Library of Latvia (NLL) has announced about the digitization of its funds. This will improve access to resources as well as retrieval of even the most specific information.

The first stage of the initiative involves digitization of “Atpūta” newspaper’s issues beginning from 1911, “Aizsargs” magazine which was popular in 1930’s, books published in St. – Petersburg in the late XIX c. and in Riga in the beginning of XX c. The objective is to digitize 3,5 million pages of books and magazines, which later will appear on the Internet to meet informational needs of Latvians.

Digital processing of every page is time-consuming and labour-intensive. After being scanned and processed electronic materials are placed to the search systems to be later retrieved by key words.

The general public will be able to familiarize themselves with results of the project in the mid. 2012 however already now the project’s prototype “Periodika.lv”, which contains 350,000 pages of the XX c. newspapers is available on the Internet.

Latvian experts claim that due to the quality of paper and wear and tear the part of the unique historical materials can be lost in one or two decades, while the conversion into electronic format is a single way to preserve this heritage for future generations.