JFK Library to go digital

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has selected a Cambridge company to digitize millions of pages of documents as well photographs, video and audio recordings.

Endeca Technologies Inc. will provide the software and technical assistance to make the library the first among American presidential libraries not "born digital" to undertake the creation of a digital library.

The digital archives are scheduled to launch on Jan. 20, 2011, the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inauguration as the 35th president. The project was announced in 2006.

Library director Tom Putnam says the endeavor will make the archives accessible to everyone from professional historians to children working on school projects.

The library's archives include more than 8.4 million pages of Kennedy's personal, congressional and presidential papers.