Digital libraries: Aggregate national bibliography e-resource to appear in Belarus

Within the framework of the public program “Culture of Belarus” the country is planning to develop an aggregate national bibliography e-resource which is scheduled for 2011-2015. For this purpose the Republic’s budget is going to allocate around 1.1 billion Belarusian rubles.

In 2011-2015 over 1 billion Belarusian rubles will be allocated for creation of an aggregate e-catalogue of Belarusian libraries which also aims to include periodicals and special documents (audio- and video documents, music sheets).

The project of the digital library “Francysk Skaryna – Belarusian and East Slavonic first publisher” will get underway in the meanwhile. Specialists are going to visit Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Germany, Denmark and other countries where they will examine and digitize publications of Francysk Skaryna, to be then included into the digital library collection. Layouts of facsimiles by the famous first publisher will be also prepared as a part of the program and require about 4 billion Belarusian rubles.

Digital library “Radziviliana will be launched within 2012-2015. Its collections will feature digitized publications, and valuable electronic copies of books purchased abroad (1150 copies). What is more, the National Historical and Cultural Museum Reserve “Nesvizh” will welcome a dozen dummy editions. This project will amount to 6.1 billion Belorussian rubles.