The International Policy of the National Library of France on Cooperation in the Field of Digitization

Translated by: Natalia V. Chernikova, Russian State Library.

The mission of the National Library of France (BnF) — is to preserve and promote the national and world heritage, covering 40 centuries of the history of human thought. For many years, BnF conducts the policy focused on preservation of documents in electronic form, and develops partnerships with foreign institutions, which carry out search of the scattered national heritage for its restoration and providing long-term preservation of collections being in a poor physical condition. The purpose of this article is to show the new forms of digital international cooperation that contribute to determination of the principles of shared responsibility in the field of preservation and promotion of heritage, considered as global commons of mankind. Therefore, the cooperation programmes are a kind of digital continuation of the UNESCO “Memory of the World” Programme, and serve to implement the articles 5.3 and 5.5 of the Recommendations concerning the preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage including in digital form, adopted by the General conference of UNESCO at its 38th session.

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