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Europeana

Europeana err…how’s it described again, the ‘Google Books Competitor’ the ‘digital library of European literature, art, history, and culture’ etc. anyway it hit the ground running head first today on it’s official launch date.

But then again we shouldn’t worry, in fact it’s been a poor victim of it’s own (sic)success (?) if you read some of the articles posted today.

Here’s just one example from GNT “Europeana titille la curiosité des internautes” – “Europeana titillates the curiosity of web users”! Too much traffic blah blah, just shows you how great it all is blah blah - Read: A lot of interested and potential users, after waiting over 3 years, would have liked to have seen what the digital library looked like, instead found the whole thing was down – non-existant.

Mon Dieu! Did they not expect we’d be interested? Who was it again that said “Build it and they will come”  they didn’t scan that one, not European maybe…

Incroyable, does this come as a surprise to those who have followed the winding road that got us here, I wonder?

Europeana cost the French Gov €3.3 million in 2006, then another €10 million in 2007. In August the European Commission announced a further €120 million is on it’s way.

In a press release on this much awaited launch date, the President of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barroso, reiterated the EC (and therefore OUR) support of the project:

“Europeana: A shop window on Europe’s cultural heritage”

…don’t be fooled by the fast and easy access that Europeana provides to our continent’s rich cultural heritage. Behind this door lies an incredible amount of hard work…the Commission will continue to support this project, and digitisation in general. Over the next two years, €69 million will be available for research on digital libraries, and another €50 million will help improve access to Europe’s cultural and scientific heritage.

Europeana itself will receive €2 million a year from the Commission in 2009-11, with Member States, cultural institutions and the private sector gradually increasing their share of funding as the project develops.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In a letter written in 1500 to his friend Jacob Batt, the great humanist Erasmus said that as soon as he got some money, he would buy books; he would buy clothes with any money left over.

Today, thanks to Europeana, lovers of art, culture, and knowledge no longer have to make such a difficult choice! So let me end by wishing this project every success for the future.

Thank you.

I wonder what Erasmus would have thought to a shabby dressed subdomain dev. page and a “see the new look” crappy logo, for his money?

The fact remains: it is an important undertaking:

The book-lover from Bulgaria who can gaze at illuminated manuscripts from medieval Irish monasteries – without travelling to Dublin; The music-lover from Malta who can study the original score of Mozart’s Requiem – written in the composer’s own hand; The art-lover from Austria who can compare works by a favourite artist side-by-side – even though they are scattered across many galleries in several Member States.

Ancient and rare manuscripts are not very accessible for good reason: they are susceptible to wear and tear, and the ravages of time. Digital versions of old works not only reach a much wider audience without causing any risk to the original copy, they also guarantee their survival.

Fingers crossed when it does finally show itself it’s been worth the wait and the lucre.