In a move that will make one of the world’s oldest university library collections freely available to access across the globe, Cambridge University Library is joining forces with Google Arts and Culture. The online platform utilises high-resolution technology to allow its visitors to zoom in on objects in great detail, and each image is accompanied with its own ‘story’, which provides more information about the narratives behind some of the collection’s most fascinating artifacts.
Among the new exhibits available online is the Treasures of Cambridge University Library collection, comprised of manuscripts, books, and other historically significant objects that have been accrued over the past six centuries. These include many unique and priceless artifacts, such as the library’s oldest written object (a Sumerian clay tablet which dates back to 2200BCE), Sir Isaac Newton’s undergraduate notebooks from his time at Trinity College, and countless other intriguing items that have been carefully preserved over the years.
Cambridge University Librarian Dr Jessica Gardner said: “One of our driving principles is to freely and openly share our world-class collections with the world. With fewer people able to travel at the moment, our partnership with Google is a perfect example of bringing the Library to millions of enquiring minds across the globe, joining some of the world’s biggest and best-loved cultural institutions already on the platform.”
The library’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture expands on its already impressive digitised collection – the Cambridge Digitised Library – where you can find over 50,000 of its objects freely available online. To explore the Treasures of Cambridge University Library collection, head to the Google Arts and Culture website.
artsandculture.google.com/partner/cambridge-university-library
