Timarit.is
Encyclopedia
Timarit.is is an open access digital library
run by the National and University Library of Iceland
which hosts digital editions of newspapers and magazines published in Iceland
, Faroe Islands
and Greenland
as well as publications in their languages elsewhere, such as Canada
which had a large influx of Icelanders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The project was initially sponsored by the West Nordic Council
and launched its web interface under the title VESTNORD in 2002. The web interface has since undergone two major revisions, in 2003 and 2008. With the last revision a decision was made to gradually convert images from the DjVu
image format to the more common PDF. Hence, part of the collection can be viewed with the DjVu plugin and part with a PDF reader.
The digital collection covers material from the 17th century to the early 21st century and offers users the ability to collect bookmarks on their free account for ease of use as well as do a text search on the majority of the collection. As of February 2009 there were more than 2,6 million images in the archive of which 2 million had been OCR
ed.
Initially the aim was to limit access to newspapers published before 1930 to avoid questions of copyright
but shortly afterwards the project made an agreement with Morgunblaðið
to scan and publish all of their issues to the year 2000. This agreement was followed with others involving both current and defunct newspapers published in the 20th century. Newspapers published after 2000 are usually sent to the library in digital format. The general rule, depending on agreements with each publisher, is to make these available 2–3 years after their initial publication.
Digital library
A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks...
run by the National and University Library of Iceland
National and University Library of Iceland
Landsbókasafn Íslands — Háskólabókasafn is the national library of Iceland which also functions as the university library of the University of Iceland. The library was established on December 1, 1994 in Reykjavík, Iceland, with the merger of the former national library, Landsbókasafn Íslands...
which hosts digital editions of newspapers and magazines published in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
and Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
as well as publications in their languages elsewhere, such as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which had a large influx of Icelanders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The project was initially sponsored by the West Nordic Council
West Nordic Council
The West Nordic Council is a cooperation forum of the parliaments and governments of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. It was initially founded in 1985 as the West Nordic Parliamentarian Council of Cooperation but the name was changed in 1997. The council comprises six MPs from each...
and launched its web interface under the title VESTNORD in 2002. The web interface has since undergone two major revisions, in 2003 and 2008. With the last revision a decision was made to gradually convert images from the DjVu
DjVu
DjVu is a computer file format designed primarily to store scanned documents, especially those containing a combination of text, line drawings, and photographs. It uses technologies such as image layer separation of text and background/images, progressive loading, arithmetic coding, and lossy...
image format to the more common PDF. Hence, part of the collection can be viewed with the DjVu plugin and part with a PDF reader.
The digital collection covers material from the 17th century to the early 21st century and offers users the ability to collect bookmarks on their free account for ease of use as well as do a text search on the majority of the collection. As of February 2009 there were more than 2,6 million images in the archive of which 2 million had been OCR
Optical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...
ed.
Initially the aim was to limit access to newspapers published before 1930 to avoid questions of copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
but shortly afterwards the project made an agreement with Morgunblaðið
Morgunblaðið
Morgunblaðið is a newspaper published in Iceland, founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen & Olaf Björnsson, brother to the first president. The first issue, only eight pages long, was published on 2 November 1913. Six years later, in 1919, the corporation Árvakur bought out the company...
to scan and publish all of their issues to the year 2000. This agreement was followed with others involving both current and defunct newspapers published in the 20th century. Newspapers published after 2000 are usually sent to the library in digital format. The general rule, depending on agreements with each publisher, is to make these available 2–3 years after their initial publication.