Mission:
To promote tolerance and respect for diverse cultures by providing free online access to the best in children's literature from around the world.

Background:
Launched in 2002 by the Internet Archive and the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland, the International Children's Digital Library provides digitized copies of books from nearly sixty countries and almost as many languages for children between the ages of 3 and 13. With the goal of helping children become empathetic members of a global community, the ICDL Foundation hopes to expand the library to include ten thousand books from a hundred cultures.

Outstanding Web Features:
Visitors to the site can browse the collection by age group, language, and book length; look for recently added or award-winning books; search for books by country or keyword in any one of nearly sixty languages; or run an advanced search on more detailed criteria, including subject matter and genre. The site is accessible in twenty languages and includes suggested activities and a community forum for members. Users also can download apps for the iPad or iPhone or a StoryKit, which enables children to create their own electronic storybooks.