April 13, 2001

Electronic-Book Technology Makes Rare Volume Accessible

By JESSICA LUDWIG

Ordinarily, A Curious Herbal, a rare book from the 18th century, would be inaccessible to readers. But, as a result of a collaboration with the British Library, visitors to the National Library of Medicine here can leaf through an electronic version of the volume using touch-screen technology.

Specialists at the British Library began digitizing select volumes in response to visitors' requests to see more of the institution's rare books. Officials at both institutions have been working