Google to Digitize National Archives Footage

[Rosco T.]

http://slashdot.org/articles/06/02/24/1832240.shtml

Google to Digitize National Archives Footage

"Google today announced their pilot program to digitize the entire video content of the National Archives and make it globally accessible for free on Google Video. The history of the world should be universally accessible and this is definitely a great step towards making sure that our history is not lost, and that everyone has equal and easy access towards such information. Google has provided some sample videos from the National Archives, such as the 1969 moon landing."

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/history-deserves-best.html

History deserves the best
2/24/2006 09:01:00 AM

Posted by Jon Steinback, Product Marketing Manager, Google Video

In junior high, I learned about most of history's greatest moments through the least engaging media possible: the yellowed pages of outdated textbooks or the unfocused projections of film strips on my classroom walls. For many momentous events, words and pictures don't transmit the full sense of what has transpired. To see for one's self, through video and audio, brings an event to life. Over 70 years ago, the National Archives was founded with the express purpose of preserving these moments in their full glory, serving America by documenting our government and our nation. This includes truly momentous events like the moon landing, as well as rare historical footage like government documentaries from the 1930s and battlefield stories from World War II.

Today we're very pleased to tell you that we're helping the National Archives take one step closer to realizing its vision. Together, we're launching a pilot program to digitize their video content and offer it to everyone in the world for free. I think both students and teachers can agree that any of these would make for an exciting day in the classroom:

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Wow!

Cool.

[Wickerman]

2. NIce

I look forward to seeing (and using) the product.