What are the most innovative digital library projects developed recently?

1 DPLA Hub Network

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a national network of over 40 hubs that aggregate and share metadata and digital content from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions across the United States. The DPLA hubs provide a variety of services, such as digitization, metadata creation, data quality improvement, and community engagement. The DPLA hubs also contribute to the DPLA's open and searchable portal, which offers access to over 40 million digital objects, as well as curated exhibitions, primary source sets, and e-books.

2 Europeana Collections

Europeana Collections is a multilingual digital library that showcases the cultural and scientific heritage of Europe. It provides access to over 58 million digital objects from more than 4,000 institutions in 37 countries, covering topics such as art, music, fashion, photography, and natural history. Europeana Collections also offers thematic collections, such as Europeana 1914-1918, Europeana Migration, and Europeana Newspapers, as well as tools and APIs for data reuse and innovation.

3 World Digital Library

The World Digital Library (WDL) is a global initiative that aims to promote international understanding and cooperation through the digitization and presentation of cultural treasures from around the world. The WDL features over 19,000 items from 193 countries and regions, dating from 8,000 BCE to the present. The WDL also provides contextual information, such as timelines, maps, essays, and videos, to enhance the user experience and foster cross-cultural learning.

5 Qatar Digital Library

The Qatar Digital Library (QDL) is a collaboration between the Qatar National Library, the British Library, and the Qatar Foundation, that aims to make available online the cultural and historical heritage of the Gulf and the wider region. The QDL features over 1.5 million pages of manuscripts, maps, photographs, and sound recordings, as well as expert articles and interactive features. The QDL also supports research and education by providing metadata, translations, transcriptions, and annotations.

6 Biodiversity Heritage Library

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is a consortium of natural history and botanical libraries that cooperate to digitize and make accessible the literature of biodiversity. The BHL provides free and open access to over 58 million pages of books, journals, and artworks, covering topics such as taxonomy, ecology, conservation, and exploration. The BHL also enables data discovery and integration through services such as APIs, OCR, data exports, and links to external databases.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?