Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2006-07-17/Library of Congress

Wikimedia Foundation representatives met this week with officials from two major institutions regarding the issue of access to archival materials. The United States Library of Congress has expressed interest in including Wikipedia content as part of its archive collection, while also indicating that it could make a sizable amount of its own material available for use on Wikimedia projects. In addition, use of a substantial collection belonging to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is being negotiated.

Wikimedia interim executive director Brad Patrick, accompanied by Danny Wool, Kat Walsh, and Gregory Maxwell, met with representatives from the Library of Congress this week to discuss sharing information, sources, and media. The Library, one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world, has offered access to nearly 40 terabytes (approximately 10 million items) of digital information. "That there would be a moment's hesitation to cooperate fully with the Library of Congress is beyond my comprehension," said Patrick. "I'm glad that we are moving in this direction."

Meanwhile, Wool also met with officials from the Holocaust Museum to discuss gaining access to the museum's entire digital archive and collection. According to Wool, the "remarkable collection includes images, testimonies, videos, and audio" and a multi-language online encyclopedia dealing with the Holocaust, along with materials regarding other cases of genocide. The material would be available on terms compatible with Wikipedia licensing. Wool asked users, though, to refrain from taking material from the museum's online archives until the deal can be legally finalized.