I have come to praise UNESCO, that sometimes criticized arm of the United Nations. I recently learned of a terrific program it has, started in the ’90s — when the U.S. was not a member — but with a very low profile.
It’s called the Memory of the World Register and, as I wrote recently for Smithsonian.com, perusing it is like taking a quick guided tour of global culture.
The Memory program is like UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, except it’s for manuscripts, films, maps, sound files, textiles and so on.
Here’s a link to my Smithsonian article — be sure to explore the Photo Gallery and Video Gallery adjacent to it.
This is my last post for a while — I’ll be on a trip until mid-April.
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