A visionary in preserving European Cultural Heritage

Jacques Chirac has just died aged 86

French head of state from 1995–2007, led opposition to the Iraq war and was the first president to acknowledge France’s role in the Holocaust.

Above is the historic letter signed by himself and another 5 heads of state, in 2005 asking the EU to support through funding the setting up of what was to become Europeana.

‘The heritage of European libraries is unequaled in richness and diversity,’ the letter read. ‘But if it is not digitalized and made accessible online, this heritage could, tomorrow, not fill its just place in the future geography of knowledge.’ Following this “Digital Library Letter” which materialized in 2008 and put into motion in 2010, strongly influenced the European Union’s strategies and expenditure in the areas of digitization of cultural heritage.

Europeana is the European Commission’s digital platform for cultural heritage. Through Europeana, citizens and the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) can access European culture for the widest possible variety of purposes. Europeana gives access to over 53 million items including image, text, sound, video and 3D material from the collections of over 3 700 libraries, archives, museums, galleries and audio-visual collections across Europe. It can be used by teachers, artists, professionals in cultural institutions and creative fields but also everyone looking for information on culture.

The digitized material from cultural institutions can be re-used to develop learning and educational content;

• documentaries;
• tourism applications;
• games;
• animations;
• design tools.

Chirac, will be remembered for his unique self-styled affable rogue character, and his barbed quotes and digs. He once said of Britain: “You can’t trust people who cook as badly as that.”