1. Digitisation of cultural heritage in
Flanders
lessons learned and challenges for the future
Hans van der Linden
Humboldt Universtität 23/10/13

2. 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

3. Setting the scene
•
Belgium / Flanders / Agentschap Kunsten en Erfgoed
www.kunstenenerfgoed.be
•
Digitisation?
> Objects and processes

4. Impetus in Flanders

5. Creating awareness …
2006
http://www.cjsm.be/cultuur/onderzoek-en-publicaties/e-cultuur-bouwstenenvoor-praktijk-en-beleid

6. 2009
http://www.faronet.be/publicaties/erfgoed-20-nieuwe-perspectieven-voor-digitaalerfgoed

7. Towards a tool for harmonisation
(2009)
call to create a publication of standards to be applied during:
• creation
• maintenance
• making accessible
of digital cultural heritage objects and collections
 Cultureel Erfgoed Standaarden Toolbox (CEST)
•
PACKED + eDAVID + steering committee

8. CESTwiki: Functionalities
www.projectcest.be

9. Cultural Heritage Decree (2012)
•
PACKED vzw. center of expertise for digital cultural heritage
Sharing 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

10. •
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

11. 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

12. Impetus from multilateral organisations

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. Impact on the following topics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Organisational and strategic development
Technical development
Visibility
Copyright
Public Private Partnership
International interest/pressure group
International dialogue
Intersectoral dialogue

17. Analysis: conclusion
• Is centralisation meaningful?
• Projects (cfr. matching funds regulation)
• Proces versus product

18. Towards a network society

19. 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
—

20. 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

21. • 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

22. However digitisation remains a tool …

23. •
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?