The Coronavirus entered our home silently and before we knew it it changed our lives. As we try to deal with spirit, the most serious crisis after the Second World War, following the #iorestoacasa imperative, the world of culture also wants (and with good reason) to do its part.
Coronavirus and cultural initiatives
If before the definitive closure of museums, libraries and cultural institutions resisted the ministerial choices to the cry of #culture doesn't stop, it seems that since 9 March, when everything really stopped, the slogan has taken on new vigor along with #I stay at home.
With a large portion of the population in quarantine, online cultural initiatives have begun to flood: from social media columns to home concerts, from guided tours by the directors of museums and archaeological sites to readings by great actors. These initiatives are very important especially if we consider that children and young people from all over Italy are at home and are very skilled in using digital platforms. The hope is also that the "extra" time of quarantine can paradoxically to bring everyone a little closer to the world of culture.
UNESCO and its World Digital Library
Covid-19 is a pandemic: in this sense it unites the entire world population together. Therefore, while humanity faces or prepares to face the crisis, the world institutions also give their answer. L'UNESCO (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture) for example, has made its Digital Library available for free. UNESCO and 32 partner institutions launched the Digital Library on April 21, 2009.
"Search 19.147 entries from 193 countries between 8000 BC and 2000 AD”Is the wording that stands out in English as soon as the site opens https://www.wdl.org/en/. An immense virtual library of Alexandria, easy to consult, which puts before our eyes images from every corner of the world and from every epoch of history. In fact, the contributions come from institutions and universities all over the world and flow into this great global project established in 2009. We did not hold back and we went to browse!
#iorestoacasa but traveling among the finds
The search within the site can be done in many ways: typing in a specific subject, selecting one timeline, viewing interactive maps or browsing the proposed themes.
Inside you will find everything: historical postcards, illuminated pages, state documents, ancient music scores, historical prints and posters, hand-drawn maps, cultural event posters, historical photographs, newspaper pages, memorabilia, manuscripts and even audio recordings from many different countries. Each exhibit / object has a description card and can also be downloaded; it also features a list of correlated objects that sweep from place to place, from era to era.
So we sifted through important evidence of our Italian past and then pursued the silk road to Japan to admire their colorful prints and calligraphy. And then off again to leaf through maps to discover the vision of the world that our predecessors had, without our powerful means. All this traveling without betraying the #iorestoacasa message! However, we must point out a difficulty: it is not possible to consult the Library in Italian. The images will be available free of charge for the duration of the emergency caused by Covid-19.
#Italian in the heart
