Source: Cymru ar y We
As the Internet becomes ever more present in people's lives as a useful tool for information and communication, the importance of being able to find reliable information grows. As anyone who has ever used a search engine knows, finding the right sources can be like looking for needles in a haystack, finding what looks like ten needles, and discovering that nine of them are either broken or the wrong kind of needle! Thus, web portals that lead to reliable information-portals such as Cymru ar y We / Wales on the Web--are of increasing importance in today's world.
Cymru ar y We, or CAYW, is one such project that has aimed at bringing quality websites relating to every aspect of Wales and Welsh life to interested users both in the hen wlad and worldwide. All websites-and there are now over 900 included--are validated according to a set of objective criteria, "to ensure that they are accurate, relevant, stable and credible." Subjects cover a wide range from arts to science and technology, and sites can be searched by subject, alphabetically, or using the Dewey decimal classification system. Each site listing contains a short description, the site author, classification information, and the date the site was last viewed by CAYW.
Its creators at the National Library of Wales intend for CAYW to be of use to as wide an audience as possible--students, researchers, professionals, government bodies, or anyone searching for dependable Internet resources relating to Wales. Project Officer Aled Betts states that it also "will be of particular benefit to learners and to enquirers beyond the borders of Wales," and foresees that it will also be used as an educational tool in the Welsh school system. In addition, the National Library is conducting the project on behalf of many academic and public libraries throughout Wales, where it will surely be of benefit to a large cross-section of library visitors.
One of the most exciting aspects of the portal is that it is fully bilingual-that is, every page is consistently available in both Welsh and English. Though this was one of the most challenging aspects of the project, it has proved fruitful. According to Aled Betts, "Heavy and constant usage has been made of the Welsh pages since CAYW was launched in Nov 2002." Even the domain name is bilingual-you can access the site at www.walesontheweb.org and www.cymruarywe.org, and you can switch between languages at any point. This is considered to be one of the most important aspects of the project: providing a reliable search resource that can be used completely in Welsh.
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