Federal Express made a major contribution to the Library's effort to place its most important American collections online with a $1 million gift to the National Digital Library Program on Sept. 23.
The donation will enable the Library to continue to add to its popular electronic American Memory collections, which already present such unique items as selected notebooks of Walt Whitman, early films of Thomas Edison, sound recordings of folk music and political speeches, photographs of the Civil War, panoramic maps, and documents relating to the civil rights movement and women's suffrage.
"We are delighted that Federal Express has decided to become a major supporter of our American Memory project," said Dr. Billington. "American Memory is the Library's most important public outreach effort, one that would not be possible without the support of private donors."
"Federal Express is proud to support the educational opportunities that the National Digital Library Program has created through advancements in technology," said Federal Express Chief Executive Frederick Smith. "Our commitment to these digitized historical archives is a reflection of our commitment to quality education."
Federal Express is the world's largest express transportation company. The company employs approximately 130,000 people and operates more than 580 aircraft and 38,000 vehicles in its integrated global network.
