Scanning: BNF announces two agreements with private companies

To add books to its digital library Gallica, the BNF announces that new books will be digitized and vinyl. To do this, two agreements recently signed with three specialized companies.

Gallica iPad
The BNF says it has signed a partnership with the publisher ProQuest to digitize 70,000 books dating from ancient French from 1470 to 1700. A selection of works will be 3500 in a first time, available on-line library Gallica and the books will be available as and when they are scanned, provides the Ministry of Culture.

A second partnership was signed with Believe Digital and Memnon Archiving Services. It focuses on a digitization project and recovery of almost 200 000 78 LPs and 33 rpm. The signing of these agreements has been possible thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the digital society which Caisse des Dépôts manages.

The aim is not only to scan such content but also monetize. For cons, the Department does not reveal how those revenues will be generated. Meanwhile, Gallica is expanding new content. Last December, claiming the platform hold 2 million documents made available to the users.

It is possible to see from a landline but also an iPad "400,000 books, 975,000 pamphlets and news magazines, 550,000 images, 60,000 maps, 31,000 manuscripts, 10,000 scores and 2,400 recordings," stated she said.