Preparing the ground for the German Digital Library

Providing users with information and knowledge about cultural heritage objects has been a core business of libraries, museums, archives, and other institutions for centuries. Accessing the information, however, has always been limited to those who literally step through the portals of these elevated places of acquired knowledge. Digitizing and publishing of digitized objects to the web brings knowledge to a much broader audience. It is even conceivable that cultural heritage might once again play a significant role in society, providing it is easy enough to explore, openly accessible and applicable to range of purposes.