If you have an interest in perusing Albert Einstein’s vast body of work, you’re in for a treat and will continue to be in for one for the rest of 2012. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem recently announced that it’s going to begin the long process of scanning and uploading over 80,000 Einstein-related documents for display on Einstein Archives Online. The documents, from the university’s Einstein Archives and the Einstein Papers Project at Caltec, will be indexed and fully searchable by topic as well as similarity.
When it comes to topic, the documents won’t be limited to Einstein’s scientific scrawlings; the collection will also include things like correspondance, travel diaries, pretty much anything else that’s out there. For the time being, you’ll notice that the online archives are pretty spare. As it turns out, digitizing and uploading 80,000 documents takes a little bit of time, so while it’s officially started, it’s going to require the rest of the year to finish. In the meantime, you can check back every now and then for what will amount to a grab-bag of digital Einstein-related information.
What are they going to do with modern day genuises after they die? Upload their email inboxes? Man, I really hope I can stick around long enough to see that happen.
(via Ubergizmo)
