[ABC NEWS]
Some of the country’s top research institutions have combined to launch a massive online archive.
The Digital Public Library of America began beta testing Thursday, promising a site with millions of materials ranging from images of George Washington to footage of Freedom Riders during the civil rights era. Directors of the digital library, first conceived in 2010, include officials from Harvard University and the University of Michigan and a former executive at Google Inc. Government support includes the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
“Starting with over 2 million items, each with its own special story and significance, the Digital Public Library of America will now begin to assemble the riches of our country’s libraries, archives, and museums, and connect them with the public,” executive director Dan Cohen wrote on the library’s website Thursday.
Read more about the massive online public library project at ABC News.