Book rarities will be available to everyone. Digitization Begins

MOSCOW. Digitization of rare books of the 16th-19th centuries began. stored in library collections.

Free access to invaluable information contained in ancient folios is a dream not only of scientists, but also of bookworms of any age. Moreover, the desire to see rarities of a different kind than interest in archaeological finds. Ordinary readers are given the opportunity to get unique information not from the tenth, not in the interpretation of some researchers, sometimes completely erroneous, but on their own. Open library reserves are becoming an inexhaustible source for self-education. Fragile, capable of crumbling, even with a light touch of bibliography, remain in safe vaults. Readers will get at their disposal not obscure illegible photographs, but clear images of book pages, which can be downloaded in a convenient format. Digitized rarities will be available even from a home computer. The books of great scientists, writers, on the margins of which handwritten notes are preserved, are not only a source of knowledge. Handwritten comments are sometimes able to reveal the author’s intention to a much greater extent than several pages typed in the printing house.

The need for such a step was especially actively discussed after the January fire in the building of the Institute of Public Information, when a considerable part of the funds, not less than 1 million volumes, perished in the fire. Digitization carried out on time would reduce the scale of losses incurred. Transformations will affect many libraries across the country.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru