Electronic libraries: Yugra State Library digitizes its books

In the next three years, most of the cultural heritage of Yugra on paper will be converted into electronic format. Library, archive and museum collections will be computerized and posted for public use in the Internet. The task was set by the authors of the Okrug Programme "Information Society of Yugra”. It has been approved by the members of the Government. Yugra State Library began digitizing. At the present 31 editions of the local lore character are already converted into electronic format. According to librarians it is the regional component, which the State Library of Yugra contributes to the Digital Library of Russia.

The Local History Department of the State Library of Yugra itself stores more than 17 000 editions, not counting newspapers. The oldest works about the district are at least twice as old as the okrug itself. In the thirties, they were given over to the library by Tobolsk Local History Museum. Conversion of rare books into electronic format is the only way to make them available to the world public and at the same time preserve the rarities.

Abroad digitization of libraries has long become a matter of national importance. At a special seminar in the Khanty-Mansiysk, EU representative Laurent Pote reported on the experience of Australia. There they replicate and spread in the Internet not only rare titles, but even old newspapers. And the process does not cost much for the budget. All citizens of the state participate in elimination of mistakes that appear during the scanning. Thus, in three years 6,000,000 lines have been corrected absolutely free of charge for the state. This practice is planned to be adopted in Yugra.