europeana
Europeana is Europe's digital platform for cultural heritage, providing online access to circa 48 million digitised items (such as manuscripts, letters, books, newspapers, photographs, audio-visual works, sound and music, paintings, design, monuments and architecture, archaeological sites and artefacts) from cultural institutions across Europe, opening up this shared cultural wealth.
Following a global call for nominations earlier this year by the Nominet Trust 100, Europeana has been selected by a judging panel of technology and charity experts in recognition of its work. The Nominet Trust celebrates the people and organisations who are using digital technology to change the world for the better. Each year, it brings together 100 of the world's most inspiring examples of social innovation, where digital technologies have been used to tackle a significant social challenge.
Europe’s cultural heritage is an irreplaceable repository of knowledge and a valuable resource for economic growth, employment and social cohesion. It enriches individual lives, is a source of inspiration for thinkers and artists, and a driver for cultural and creative industries. Cultural heritage and the way we preserve and valorise it is a major factor in defining Europe's place in the world and its attractiveness as a place to live, work, and visit.
Making Europe's cultural heritage accessible to everyone promotes its visibility, and enables unprecedented forms of access, engagement and use. It connects people and helps them gain a sense of identity.
Europeana brings together around 3,500 cultural institutions from across Europe, creatives and technology professionals to promote and open up access to digital cultural heritage, providing creative industries and tech entrepreneurs with access to digitized objects for re-use, and opening up collections to the general public. It aims to an inspiring use of technology for cultural and social innovation that will transform the world with culture.