#3 Policy Recommendation Area

#3 Policy Recommendation Area

Prioritise purposeful digitisation supporting reuse of cultural heritage collections

Quality focus

The heritage sector needs to introduce a clear shift towards a more purposeful, qualitative approach in digitisation, leading to the introduction of digitisation for reuse, based on FAIR principles*, prioritising collections open for reuse. The discussion on openness and reuse practices should also apply to born-digital heritage collections. Adequate regulations of intellectual property law, including copyright, should directly enable the institution to both digitise and reuse the accumulated cultural heritage.

Environmental awareness

The digitalisation process is relying upon extensive ICT infrastructure which entails a meaningful consumption of resources and energy and thus directly and indirectly contributes to environmental pressures and the intensification of climate change. The heritage sector must better understand and seek to mitigate the environmental impacts of digital activities.

Inclusivity

Digitisation must become an inclusive process, engaging communities and external partners from outside of the cultural heritage domain in digitisation policy making, introducing a bottom-up approach towards digitisation strategies based on the stakeholders’ needs, and making sure that access and reuse of digitised collections is relevant to a wider group of stakeholders (researchers, educators, creatives, local communities, etc.) at different levels.

Operationalisation of recommendation #3:

3.1 Prioritise digitisation funding programmes, legislation and policies facilitating reuse

Policy makers at the EU and national level

3.2 Pool infrastructures

Policy makers at the EU and national level   Heritage Networks   

3.3 Ensure the participatory character of cultural heritage institutions’ digitisation strategies

Heritage Networks   Cultural Heritage Institutions

References

*https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/