Discover Shakespeare with your phone
26.04.2016Company: Vodafone Czech Republic a.s.
On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare´s death and the World Book Day, Vodafone and the British Library are introducing a digital library of his work. The unique library consists of specially-designed wallpaper featuring virtual bookshelves which allow public to download 14 oldest and most famous of Shakespeare´s plays including Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Being supported by the Vodafone Foundation, the digital library will be also available for students and visitors at the British Council from May until the end of the year.
Today, the Vodafone Foundation is going to unveil the first digital library wallpaper in the Czech Republic on the ground floor of its headquarters in Stodůlky, Prague. Marking 400 years since the playwright´s death, the unique library has been prepared by the Vodafone Group and the British Library to introduce Shakespeare to the public in a digital form. Everyone will now be able to download via QR codes the rare first edition copies of Shakespeare´s 14 most famous plays in their original form. The only thing you need is a smartphone or a tablet with a QR code reader and good LTE coverage. In the following weeks, thanks to the cooperation of the Vodafone Foundation and the British Council, the digital library is going to tour Czech schools, libraries and public festivals. Many of these institutions will be able to keep it.
The initiative follows Vodafone´s commitment to use technology to help community development and to improve the lives of the disabled groups. That is also what the Vodafone Foundation has been striving to do for the past ten years. “We support projects which strive to improve the access to mobile telecommunications and their creative use in culture and education. Our programs Laboratory and Technology for Society, for example, helped the development of the “Včelka” application for dyslexics,” says Adriana Dergam of the Board or Directors, Vodafone Foundation.
“We very much appreciate the cooperation with the Vodafone Foundation and we love the idea to make Shakespeare available through QR libraries,” confirms Justin Spence, the Director of the British Council in the Czech Republic. “It perfectly complements our work and our global project celebrating Shakespeare´s anniversary called Shakespeare Lives. Besides traditional approaches, such as live theatre, dance, film, lectures, education materials, etc., we enthusiastically use new technologies: everyone can join our celebrations by sending their video spot and marking it #shakespearelives.“
Videos and photos of Shakespeare´s Digital Library by Vodafone can be downloaded here.
Links to the plays:
