Google Books and Royal Library of Belgium agreement: over 100 thousand texts in digital format in three years

Brussels – Much national history, some history of Europe, and then medicine, atlases, and publications by Italian, German, and Spanish authors. The treasure trove of knowledge stored in the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), with its centuries-old books, will soon be spilled from the shelves onto tablets, PCs and smartphones. Thanks to an agreement reached with Google Books, between 30,000 and 40,000 tomes will be digitized each year and for the next three years, to arrive at having in PDF and e-book format more than 100,000 books currently consulted in the traditional way.

Announcing the start of the manuscript conversion operation was the Royal Library of Belgium itself. However, it will take at least two years before it is possible to use the new reference service. Digital access to books will be possible starting in 2026 through Belgica, the Royal Library’s digital platform, and Google’s digital library. About eight million books and documents are stored in the Royal Library in Brussels. The special partnership between the institution and Google Books concerns works covering the 17th century to the end of the 19th century. By doing so, it will be possible to make accessible tomes of historical value that today should be consulted with caution and great care, given the antiquity of the publications.

“Having our collections present on a platform whose visibility and reach are unparalleled is a unique opportunity to give a second life to numerous works that will now be identifiable and accessible anywhere and for free,” stresses an enthusiastic Sara Lammens, executive director of the Library.
Stephen McVay, head of the Google Books project, is also satisfied. “Google Books was launched nearly 20 years ago with the ambition of making all books from around the world digitally available and searchable for everyone. We are delighted that the Royal Library of Belgium, as a renowned and important one, supports this great ambition.”