The presidents of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) yesterday signed a historic agreement to preserve and make accessible collections and scholarship related to cultural heritage.
The two research libraries signed the agreement and launched the partnership during a joint research symposium, called Engaging Shared Heritage, in New York. The symposium was timed to coincide with the 73rd United Nations General Assembly session, as “Endangered Heritage” is one of the UN’s themes this year.
The two organizations agreed to share existing digital images and metadata for use online and by researchers and digitize collections around areas of mutual interest related to heritage. Other initiatives included in the agreement are fellowships, research, and a series of symposia.
Laurence Engel, president, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and Anthony W. Marx, president, New York Public Library, signed a partnership agreement to protect, maintain, and disseminate heritage collections which document global history.
Laurence Engel, BnF president, said, “I’m convinced that libraries are part of the solution for safeguarding cultural heritage and patrimonial collections. This international action is essential and the BnF, with the universal nature of its collections and its technological expertise, is pleased and proud to cooperate with the NYPL.
“Working together is one of the best way to assure the preservation and the sharing of our common heritage.”
The BnF is France’s oldest heritage institution and one of the oldest libraries in the world.
It collects, preserves and makes known the national documentary heritage. The BnF’s collections are much more than just French and Western. They are global collections with 15 million books, and as many engravings and photographs, two million music sheets, 900,000 maps, and 1.5 million audiovisual materials.
“Cultural institutions play an incredibly important role in preserving the world’s shared cultural heritage — a heritage that is critical to our mutual understanding and growth,” said Anthony W. Marx, New York Public Library president.
“It is so important that institutions work together to ensure that this heritage is not only safe, but shared with the public and understood. The primary materials that we make available support the search for truth and fact, which is arguably more important today than ever before.”
