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What's New
Introducing the RFBNN Internet Portal
Greater Access to the Documentary Heritage of the Francophonie
QUEBEC, August 14, 2008 – On August 11, 2008, participants in the 74th World Congress of the International Federation of Library Associations received a preview of the Internet portal developed by the Réseau francophone des bibliothèques nationales numériques (Francophone network for digital national libraries, or RFBNN). With this portal, the RFBNN delivers on its dual mission of ensuring the long-term preservation and large-scale dissemination of the documentary heritage of French-speaking communities and countries. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec is responsible for the portal's design and development. Its official launch is scheduled for October in Quebec City at the 12th summit of the heads of state and government of the Francophonie.
Visitors to www.rfbnn.org can consult digitized newspapers, magazines, books, maps, drawings and archival materials from the collections of some 10 record-keeping organizations in the Francophone world. New materials will be added regularly to this co-operative portal as the number of participating libraries increases.
Created in February 2006 by the national libraries of Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Quebec and Switzerland, the RFBNN added the Library of Alexandria to its list of participants in the spring of 2006, followed by several major recordkeeping institutions in the southern hemisphere in 2008.
This unique project preserves and showcases materials that are not widely available and in danger of disappearing. It was developed with the assistance of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, which continues to provide such support as introductory training workshops on digitization with the members of the RFBNN.
At the Launch of the Internet Portal, RFBNN
Bruno Racine, President, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Pietro Sicuro, Director, Institut francophone des nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la formation de l'Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie
Ian E. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada
Lise Bissonnette, CEO, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
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Information:
Pauline M. Portelance
Senior Media Relations
Library and Archives Canada
819-994-4589 or 613-293-4298
media@lac-bac.gc.ca
