April 30, 1996
Contact: Guy Lamolinara, Library of Congress (202) 707-9217
Robert Crooke, Reuters (212) 603-3587
Sandi Abadinsky, Porter/Novelli (202) 835-7821
Reuters Donates $1 Million to National Digital Library Program To Put Washington and Jefferson Papers On-Line
Gift to Make Presidential Papers
Available Electronically for First Time
Exactly 207 years after Washington's inauguration in 1789,
Reuters America Inc. and The Reuter Foundation today donated $1
million to the Library's National Digital Library (NDL) Program
specifically for the digitization of the papers of George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Today's gift will make it possible, for the first time, to
place unique presidential papers from the Library on-line. The
Jefferson and Washington papers will be digitized for inclusion
in the National Digital Library's collection of American history
materials available at http://www.loc.gov/. Previously, items
such as Washington's handwritten inaugural address and
Thanksgiving proclamation as well as letters between him and
Jefferson could only be viewed in Washington.
"Today's gift from Reuters will make it possible for the
Library to share widely two collections of papers of the Founding
Fathers," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "Our
collections of 23 presidents are among the most important in the
Library, and the generosity of Reuters will offer Americans
everywhere the chance to view these key documents of their
nation's history."
The goal of the NDL program is to make freely available over
the Internet 5 million items by the year 2000, in collaboration
with other institutions. The Reuters contribution will help the
Library meet that goal by providing the funds necessary to
digitize the approximately 65,000 items in the Washington Papers
and 25,000 in the Jefferson Papers.
This contribution will also enable the Library to expand the
educational impact of these materials through a cable connection
from Reuters to 1,500 classroom across the country.
Reuters Chief Executive Peter Job said, "Reuters is pleased
it is working with the Library of Congress to bring American
history to the digital age. Through the application of the
latest technology, wider access to historically significant
materials has become possible. Scholars, local libraries,
classroom students and families in the home -- indeed anyone with
access to the Internet -- will now be able to see and use these
materials more readily."
The George Washington Papers focus on the first president's
careers as surveyor, farmer, military leader and politician.
Washington's correspondence, account books and other papers are
the preeminent source for study of the military aspects of the
American Revolution. His correspondence, diaries, journals and
meticulously maintained records are unparalleled records of the
creation of the national government.
The Jefferson Papers reflect the more speculative and
philosophical mind of the author of the Declaration of
Independence, reformer of the Virginia Constitution and founder
of the University of Virginia. The third president's web of
intellectual communication within the North Atlantic community is
clearly seen in his extensive correspondence on subjects as
diverse as Native American languages, scientific farming and the
best form of government for France and Great Britain. His
interest in the early history of Virginia led to the preservation
of some of the earliest known records of Jamestown and the
Virginia Company of London.
The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, with
more than 110 million items. Its collections are in nearly every
language and format -- from Chinese woodblock prints to compact
disks. Founded in 1800 to serve the reference needs of Congress,
the Library has grown into an unparalleled treasure house of
knowledge and creativity.
Reuters supplies the global business community and news
media with a wide range of products including real-time financial
data, transaction systems, access to numerical and textual
historical databases, news, graphics, still photos and news
video. Reuters maintains an international network of about 1,860
journalists, photographers and cameramen, and some 327,000
clients access Reuters information.
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PR 96-64
4/30/96
ISSN 0731-3527