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01.03.2021
On St David's Day the National Library of Wales is excited to announce that some of its digital collections are now live on the Google Arts & Culture online platform, bringing Welsh culture to the attention of the world.
The National Library is the first national Welsh cultural organisation to share content on the Google Arts & Culture platform and joins over 2000 other partners from around the globe who are committed to making art and culture available to everyone wherever they are.
By sharing high resolution images Google Arts & Culture enables audiences to explore items for themselves, to look in detail at the objects and to learn about them through different visual and audio-visual media. It is possible to view the ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ music manuscript and at the same time listen to the first recording of the anthem for example, as well as looking at paintings of some of our iconic castles alongside Google ‘street view’ images of them.
Currently there are 190 items from the National Library’s collections available to explore in an online gallery on the Google Arts & Culture website and app, while more items will be added over the coming months. These include photographs by iconic early photographers such as Mary Dillwyn, works of art by one of Wales' favourite artists, Kyffin Williams and treasures such as a map of Wales by John Speed.
The Library has also curated 10 digital stories so that audiences can enjoy the nation’s treasures in their historical context, from early manuscripts to contemporary artworks. All material is available in both the English and Welsh language. Explore the collection online here: g.co/nationallibrarywales
Pedr ap Llwyd, Chief Executive and Librarian of the National Library of Wales, said:
“Digital technology plays a central role in the lives of us all and I take pride in the Library being the first national Welsh cultural organisation to share content on the Google Arts & Culture online platform. We want to make our treasures accessible to everyone and welcome the opportunity to enable new ways of accessing our collections. It is also vital that information about the culture of Wales is available through the medium of Welsh and what better way than on a popular platform like this.”
Dafydd Tudur, Head of Access and Public Programmes, said:
“We hope that many more people will be inspired to learn about our nation’s heritage and culture, discovering the National Library’s wealth of digital collections and resources, joining our range of online events and activities, and visiting our magnificent building in Aberystwyth when our spaces reopen to the public.”
Luisella Mazza, Head of Global Operations at Google Arts & Culture, said:
"We are excited to be launching our partnership with the National Library of Wales to mark St David's Day this year. This partnership and project is especially exciting as we are able to share the National Library of Wales’ very special collections in both Welsh and English for the first time. We hope visitors everywhere will enjoy immersing themselves in Welsh heritage on Google Arts & Culture."
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Further information:
Nia Wyn Dafydd
post@llgc.org.uk
**Mae'r datganiad yma hefyd ar gael yn y Gymraeg**
Notes for Editors
Google Arts & Culture is a non-profit initiative that works with cultural institutions and artists around the world. Their mission is to bring the world’s art and culture online so it’s accessible to anyone, anywhere. It is available for free for everyone on the web, on iOS and Android. Learn more about it on the website.
10 stories from the National Library of Wales’ collections on Google Arts & Culture
1. Welsh Photographers, from the Rev. Calvert Richard Jones to Geoff Charles
2. Kyffin Williams
3. Humphrey Llwyd, the cartographer
4. Shane Williams – portrait by contemporary artist David Griffiths
5. Salem – Sydney Curnow Vosper
6. The Nanteos Cup
7. Wales’ Iconic Castles – including Caernarfon Castle, Kidwelly Castle, Conwy Castle and Dolbadarn Castle
8. Welsh Landscapes – rural and industrial landscapes
9. Manuscripts – including Hengwrt Chaucer
10. 5 highlights: Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch manuscript, Geoff Charles’ portrait of John Charles, Gwen John’s ‘Vase of Flowers’, ‘The Gathering, Farmers on Glyder Fach’ by Kyffin Williams and Primo Europe tabula (Map of the British Isles) by Ptolemy.
Explore all the online stories at: g.co/nationallibrarywales