Digitisation of cultural heritage in Flanders

lessons learned and challenges for the future

Hans van der LindenHumboldt Universtität 23/10/13

1. Setting the scene

2. Impetus in Flanders

3. Impetus from multilateral organisations• UNESCO• European Commission

4. Towards a network society • Theory: Manuel Castells• Praxis: Attitudes and roles

Setting the scene

• Belgium / Flanders / Agentschap Kunsten en Erfgoed

www.kunstenenerfgoed.be

• Digitisation? > Objects and processes

Impetus in Flanders

Creating awareness …

2006

http://www.cjsm.be/cultuur/onderzoek-en-publicaties/e-cultuur-bouwstenen-voor-praktijk-en-beleid

2009

http://www.faronet.be/publicaties/erfgoed-20-nieuwe-perspectieven-voor-digitaal-erfgoed

Towards a tool for harmonisation (2009)

call to create a publication of standards to be applied during:• creation• maintenance • making accessibleof digital cultural heritage objects and collections

Cultureel Erfgoed Standaarden Toolbox (CEST)

• PACKED + eDAVID + steering committee

CESTwiki: Functionalities

www.projectcest.be

Cultural Heritage Decree (2012)

• PACKED vzw. center of expertise for digital cultural heritageSharing of expertise - international perspective - maintenance of CEST practical support of cultural heritage institutions - stimulating collaboration (interdisciplinary) - raising awareness

• Clause in CED for ‘collection managing cultural heritage organisations’ (museums and cultural archival institutions)

• Provinces will coordinate regional aggregation and preservation initiatives to ensure sustainable access to digital cultural heritage

• Projects

• Ad hoc reglementation to apply for matching funds to participate in European projects

• Europeana Vlaanderen Overlegplatform (2007)

• www.immaterieelerfgoed.be: an interactive platform as a part of an ICH policy

Vlaams Instituut voor Audiovisuele Archivering (2012)

“VIAA wants to preserve the digital heritage of Flanders in a sustainable way and make it accessible to everyone”

www.viaa.be

Impetus from multilateral organisations

UNESCO: From theory towards practice…

2003: Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage

2012: Vancouver Declaration (Memory of the World-program)

there is a pressing need to establish a roadmap proposing solutions, agreements and policies, that ensure long term access and trustworthy preservation. This roadmap should address issues like open government, open data, open access and electronic government. It should dovetail with national and international priorities and be in full agreement with human rights

European Commission: Europeana

Commission recommendation on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation (2011) • Member State Expert Group

• Monitoring of progress• Information exchange

• Financial impulses• eContentPlus, CIP ICT-PSP• Coordinated by DG information society and media• Part of the Digital Agenda for Europe

• Europeana

Impact analysis

• Europeana Vlaanderen Overlegplatform

• 20 reactions based on experiences from ATHENA, Daguerreobase, Digitising Contemporary Art, Enumerate, Europeana Awareness, Europeana Fashion, Europeana Inside, Europeana Libraries, EuropeanaLocal, EUScreen, EUScreenXL, Linked Heritage and Partage Plus.

• Participation in European (a) projects versus Europeana Network

The Europeana Network is united by a common cultural mission to ‘work together to improve access to Europe’s cultural heritage in balanced and sustainable ways.

Impact on the following topics

• Organisational and strategic development • Technical development• Visibility• Copyright• Public Private Partnership• International interest/pressure group• International dialogue• Intersectoral dialogue

Analysis: conclusion

• Is centralisation meaningful?

• Projects (cfr. matching funds regulation)

• Proces versus product

Towards a network society

Network society

• Manuel Castells: The Information Age. Economy, Society and Culture (1996-2003)

• Space of flows: • Abstraction of space and time

• New spacial allows real-time interaction at distance and organises dominant processes

• Creation, distribution, usage, integration and manipulation of information is an important economical, political and cultural activity

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How to prepare for a role in the network society?

• Digital culture is part of culture. Institutions should start from this idea and embed digital technology in their core mission.

• Attitudes cultural heritage institutions should acquire:• Digital literacy• Demonstrate social value

• Strenghten tradional tasks by means of digital technology

• Transparancy • Active attitude towards continous innovation

• The policy level needs to facilitate, support and monitor the implementation of these attitudes• Provide modular solutions : the concept of ‘polycentricity’

for sustainable preservation and accessibility (VIAA – PACKED – … - individual institutions)

• Stimulate good practices• Stimulate and provide an assessment framework with the

Cultural Heritage Decree• Create a conceptual framework to define the public task

of cultural heritage organisations

However digitisation remains a tool …

• What could be good examples of the role of a cultural-heritage institution in the network society? How would ‘traditional’ tasks fit in?

• How could digitisation facilitate this?

• Why should a government invest in (digital) cultural heritage? What should a public task consist of?