In 18 Languages, Electronic Library Speaks to Children

November 21, 2002 | Source: November 22, 2002

The free public library opened its electronic doors on the Internet this week, offering a pilot version with nearly 200 digitized books in 18 languages for children ages 3 to 13. Plans call for the International Children’s Digital Library to offer 10,000 books – 100 titles from 100 cultures – by 2007, allowing children to read on desktop computers, laptops and mobile devices. The eclectic library lets children hunt for books based on the color of their covers, how they make them feel, what kind of characters they depict and other ways that adults might find rather strange. One of its goals is to test novel ways of navigating the pages with graphical rather than text cues.