The website www.wdl.org is now available on the Internet, gathering maps, texts, photos, recordings, and films from all times and explaining in seven languages the cultural jewels and relics of libraries around the globe.
It has, above all, a heritage character,” anticipated in LA NACION Abdelaziz Abid, coordinator of the project driven by UNESCO and 32 other institutions. The WDL will not offer current documents, except for those “with heritage value, which will allow for a better appreciation and understanding of the cultures of the world in different languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and 
Portuguese. However, there are documents online in over 50 languages.”
The treasures include the Hyakumanto darani, a document in Japanese published in the year 764 and considered the first printed text in history; an account from the Aztecs that constitutes the first mention of the Christ Child in the New World; works by Arab scientists unveiling the mystery of algebra; bones used as oracles and Chinese mats; the Gutenberg Bible; old Latin American photos from the National Library of Brazil; and the famous Devil’s Bible from the 13th century, from the National Library of Sweden.
Although officially presented at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, the World Digital Library is already available on the Internet.
Access is free, and users can enter directly via the Web without the need to register.
It allows internet users to direct their search by eras, geographical areas, document types, and institutions. The system offers explanations in seven languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese), although the originals exist in their 
original language.
Thus, it is possible, for example, to study in detail the Gospel of Saint Matthew translated into Aleut by the Russian missionary Ioann Veniamiov in 1840. With a simple click, one can turn the pages of a book, zoom in or out on the texts, and move them in all directions. The excellent definition of the images allows for comfortable and detailed reading.
Among the jewels currently contained in the WDL is the Declaration of Independence of the United States, as well as the Constitutions of numerous countries. The journal of a Venezuelan scholar who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his journey around the world; the original of La Fontaine’s “Fables”; the first book published in the Philippines in Spanish and Tagalog; and African rock paintings dating back to 8,000 B.C.
Its organizers state that the WDL is primarily aimed at researchers, teachers, and students.