Libraries abroad: Bavarian State Library offers access to rare books with mobile application

The Bavarian State Library released a free application for Apple’s iPhone and iPad offering users the ability to browse rare books including the Gutenberg Bible and precious medieval manuscripts.

With plans to add more in the future, the 452-year-old library has put together 52 literary highlights with the aim of making its cultural treasures accessible to the modern digital era.

“The Bavarian State Library considers it a core duty to become a centre of innovation for digital IT technologies and services by developing and offering mobile applications for its services,” it said in a statement.

The program “Famous Books – Treasures of the Bavarian State Library” presents some of the most important pieces of its collection. Users can browse through the 42-line Bible that sparked the book printing revolution in the 1450s by Germany’s Johannes Gutenberg, as well as a unique Babylonian Talmud. The app also gives access to UNESCO World Heritage manuscripts including a version of the epic Germanic poem the Nibelungenlied and priceless texts from Persia, Japan and other parts of the Orient.