International Children's Digital Library
Encyclopedia
The International Children's Digital Library Foundation (ICDL) is a free online library of digitized children's books in many languages from various countries. Designed specifically for use by children ages 3 to 13, the Library is a housed by the International Children's Digital Library Foundation and was originally developed in the College of Information Studies and the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park
.
Children can search for books by location, color, length, intended age group, content type, and emotional quality, among other qualifiers. An advanced search option is also provided for more experienced or older users, and all users can register to save search preferences and favorite books.
Books are selected based on quality and appropriateness and are presented in their original language with copyright permission from publishers or authors. The Library's ultimate goal is to foster a love of reading, a readiness to learn, and a response to the challenges of world literacy.http://www.childrenslibrary.org/about/policies/goals.html
, Maryland
, tested the original Java
prototype from 1999–2002, and since then children from five locations around the world have also contributed to the design process as the library's "Kidsteam Program".
The 2002-2005 phase of development saw a working model of the Library accessed by over one million users around the world and home to 1,000 books. Funding initially came from the National Science Foundation
and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
In April 2006, the International Children's Digital Library became part of the newly formed International Children's Digital Library Foundation, a non-profit corporation under the leadership of Tim Browne
as Executive Director and original project leaders Dr. Allison Druin, Dr. Ben Bederson, and Dr. Ann Weeks as Directors. The Library's principal support comes from the Library of Congress
, National Science Foundation
, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Microsoft Research
.
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
.
Children can search for books by location, color, length, intended age group, content type, and emotional quality, among other qualifiers. An advanced search option is also provided for more experienced or older users, and all users can register to save search preferences and favorite books.
Books are selected based on quality and appropriateness and are presented in their original language with copyright permission from publishers or authors. The Library's ultimate goal is to foster a love of reading, a readiness to learn, and a response to the challenges of world literacy.http://www.childrenslibrary.org/about/policies/goals.html
History
The International Children's Digital Library was initially launched in November 2002 under the direction of University of Maryland Computer Science professor Dr. Allison Druin and in collaboration with researchers from other fields, such as information studies, art, psychology, and education, in order to better understand children's online habits and to encourage a love of reading and increased literacy. Children from BowieBowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, tested the original Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
prototype from 1999–2002, and since then children from five locations around the world have also contributed to the design process as the library's "Kidsteam Program".
The 2002-2005 phase of development saw a working model of the Library accessed by over one million users around the world and home to 1,000 books. Funding initially came from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
In April 2006, the International Children's Digital Library became part of the newly formed International Children's Digital Library Foundation, a non-profit corporation under the leadership of Tim Browne
Tim Browne
Tim Browne is a rugby league player for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. His Primary position is Second Row Forward but has played Front Row before. He capped off the year by playing a starring role in the Bulldogs second straight NSW Cup Premiership, adding to the Queensland Cup...
as Executive Director and original project leaders Dr. Allison Druin, Dr. Ben Bederson, and Dr. Ann Weeks as Directors. The Library's principal support comes from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research is the research division of Microsoft created in 1991 for developing various computer science ideas and integrating them into Microsoft products. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare, Butler Lampson, and Charles P...
.