The Europeana Sounds project, will give online access to a critical mass of audio visual digital-objects. Over 540,000 high quality sound recordings will be available via Europeana, from classical and folk music, to environmental sounds from the natural world as well as oral memories.
Tones, Voices and Sounds
The sounds selected for this project embrace the breadth of Europe’s cultural heritage: classical music and contemporary performances with timeless and universal appeal; traditional and folk music and storytelling; sound effects, environmental sounds and noises from the natural world; languages, accents and dialects and oral recollections, all with a particular resonance in different regions. Together these collections reflect the diverse cultures, histories, languages and creativity of the peoples of Europe over the past 130 years.
Online Access
Europeana Sounds will widen access to a wealth of Europe’s richest materials and show how sound recordings have woven their way into the social, cultural and scientific fabric of their time across the spectrum. From long forgotten dialects, through the sounds of disappearing natural environments, to contemporary music, Europeana Sounds will bring us all closer to a recent past much like to our own, united by a common aural heritage. Much of this heritage was born within the age of copyright, and preserving it for future generations will carry forward the work on opening access to copyrighted materials. These sounds are the newest layer in our shared cultural experience, and the challenge will be to preserve access to it for a wide audience in an increasingly digital age.
Facts
- Project start: February 2014
- Project duration: 3 Years
- Funding: by the EU
- Coordination: British Library
- Partner: 24 Partner
AIT is a technical partner managing the two innovative exploration pilots and implementing methods and tools for interlinking content. AIT will also contribute to the enrichment infrastructure
