Europe’s Common Cultural Heritage – Unity in Diversity: Digital Technologies and Cultural Heritage (G. De Francesco)

Europe’s Common Cultural Heritage – Unity in Diversity

European cultural heritage and digital technologies

Giuliana De FrancescoMinistry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, Italy

Bellevue Fellow at the Foundation for Prussian Cultural Heritage, Germany

Bellevue Programme 2011 – EU Seminar

Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC, Italy)

Mission:• Protect, preserve, give access and promote the Italian

cultural heritage:– Architectural heritage– Landscape– Historical and artistic heritage– Library heritage– Archival heritage– Archaeological heritage– Ethno-anthropological heritage– Contemporary architecture and art

• Support reading, literary production, scientific culture, performing arts (Music, Cinema, Dance, Theater)

• Established 1975http://www.beniculturali.it

Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC, Italy)

Organisation:• 1 Secretariat General

– 8 Directorates General– 7 Central Institutes (among them ICCU)– 4 National Institutes– 11 Self-governing Institutes– 17 Regional Directorates

• 110 local superintendences• 104 state archives• 48 state libraries• 399 museums, monuments, archaeological areas

• Ca. 20,000 personnel units

Website: http://www.beniculturali.it

Mission:• Coordinate and promote cataloguing and digitisation

activities across the Italian libraries• Issuing, translating, adapting, disseminating

recommendations and standards for cataloguing and digitisation of the library heritage.

• Established 1975• Ca. 75 personnel units

Central Institute for the Union

Catalogue of the Italian Libraries (ICCU)

1. Administrative Service

2. Service for the cultural promotion

2 services 6 departments

Projects: • World Digital Library (Italian part.) • Europeana (Italian part.) • ATHENA• DC-NET• INDICATE• MICHAEL• CulturaItalia • Internet Culturale

1. Standards rules for cataloguing and digitisation

2. National Library Service (SBN)

3. Bibliographic information and the Italian Library Registry

4. Digitisation and access to documents

5. Bibliography, cataloguing and census of the ancient book

6. Census and bibliography of the Italian manuscripts

Central Institute for the Union

Catalogue of the Italian Libraries (ICCU)

Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (SPK)

Mission• Preservation and care of the PCH collections, their structure and

development• Academic and scientific research form the basis for a mediation of

cultures with a mission to encourage learning and understanding between different peoples.

• Established in 1957– In 1975 all Western German States were members– The Unification Treaty allowed for the inclusion of former DDR

institutions– A permanent settlement was confirmed in 1994

• The Federal Government and the 16 individual States share the legal and financial responsibility. The Foundation embodies the shared governmental responsibility for culture in Germany.

Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (SPK)

• The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Berlin State Museums - Prussian Cultural Heritage) with 16 separate museums forming the largest and most multi-faceted museum complex in Germany, and one of the largest in the world.

• The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - PK (Berlin State Library - PCH), a universal research library with holdings of more than 10 million volumes, 38,600 current periodicals as well as comprehensive special collections of manuscripts, maps and early books.

• The Geheimes Staatsarchiv PK (Secret State Archives PCH) holds some 35,000 metres of archives. It is a public research institute for the history of (Brandenburg-) Prussia, covering all its historic territories between the lower Rhine and East Prussia.

• The Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut - PK (Ibero-American Institute) is an interdisciplinary center for academic and cultural exchange between Germany and Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal. It is home to the largest specialist library in Europe for the Ibero-American region.

• The Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung - PK (State Institute for Music Research - PCH), with the Musikinstrumenten-Museum (Museum of Musical Instruments), comprises a collection of historic instruments from the 16th to the 20th centuries and research departments for the study of instruments, musical acoustics, music theory and music history.

Institut für Museumsforschung

• An institution with nationwide responsibility for research and documentation, focusing on all aspects of Museum studies across the various collections.

Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (SPK)

: An Information Society for All

• A political initiative to ensure the European Union fully benefits for generations to come from the changes the Information Society is bringing. These changes are far-reaching and global, they affect everyone, everywhere.

(Communication on a Commission Initiative for the Special European Council of Lisbon, 23 and 24 March 2000)

• Need for quality European digital content for global networks:

“European content production, based on its cultural heritage and linguistic diversity, must be promoted. By combining digital literacy with strength in mobile communications, Europe can lead the next great leap to a wireless Internet world.”

• Lund meeting, principles and action plan (2001)

MINERVA: Ministerial Network for Valorising Activities in Digitisation

• Network of policy makers and professionals from EU cultural ministries and national institutions

• Core concern: Harmonising the digitisation of cultural and scientific content across Europe– Avoiding fragmentation, minimising duplication, enabling quality,

long-term accessibility and preservation

• 3 EC funded projects (5° and 6° Framework Programmes for R & D, eContentplus)

• 2002-2008

• Involving all EU MS plus Russia and Israel

http://www.minervaeurope.org

• All Cultural Heritage sectors involved: Integration of libraries, museums, archives, other cultural and research institutions

• Share good practices, develop agreed sets of recommendations and standards

• Tight liaison with the national digitisation programmes and the European framework

• Coordination across and within Member States• Cooperation with other networks

MINERVA: Ministerial Network for Valorising Activities in Digitisation

• MINERVA network developed:– a European view on policies and programmes– a set of agreed European recommendations and

guidelines in the field of digitisation and digital access to cultural heritage, supporting best practice in digitisation and the creation of quality cultural online services. Most publications translated into different languages and/or adapted to individual national contexts

http://www.minervaeurope.org/publications.htm

MINERVA: Ministerial Network for Valorising Activities in Digitisation

MICHAEL

Multilingual Inventory of Cultural Heritage in Europe• Deploying MINERVA results

A European online service to enable European cultural heritage to be promoted to a worldwide

audience

Purpose

Image setup, TASI

• Several thousands of institutions of any size, type and sector digitising their cultural and scientific collections of any kind• Millions of digital items available. But how to find them?• MICHAEL vision: Connecting people to collections from museums, libraries, archives, audiovisual archives, and cultural and scientific organisations across Europe, through collection level description and with a cross domain approach

Two projects funded by the eTEN programme: • MICHAEL (2004-2006): France, Italy and the UK• MICHAELplus (2006 - 2008)• More countries joined without EU funding

• MICHAEL Culture Association (AISBL)

MICHAEL Projects

http://www.michael-culture.se http://www.michael-culture.fi http://www.michael-culture.cl.bas.bg http://www.michael-culture.pl http://www.michael-culture.fr

http://www.michael-culture.hu

http://www.michael-portal.de http://www.michael-culture.org.uk

http://www.michael-culture.kul.ee http://www.michael-culture.es

http://www.michael-culture.cz

http://www.michael-culture.nl http://www.michael-culture.gr

http://www.michael-culture.it

www.michael-culture.org

Local coordination

Regional service Local service

National coordination

EuropeanCoordination

Nationalaggregator

Thematic sercice

International aggregator

International aggregator

i2010 • A European Information Society for growth and employment: EU policy

framework for Information Society and Media (2005-2010)– to create a Single European Information Space, which promotes an open

and competitive internal market for IS and media services– to strengthen investment and innovation in ICT research– to support inclusion, better public services and quality of life through the

use of ICT. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010/index_en.htm

• Flagship initiative: i2010: Digital Libraries “Europe's Cultural and Scientific Heritage at a Click of a Mouse”

Digitisation, accessiblity and preservation of cultural and scientific information– Stimulate wider access and use– Need for sustainable methods, systems, infrastructures– New users and demands ― creative and economic potential: new

audiences, new services, new business opportunities

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/digital_libraries/index_en.htm

Europeana.euAims at offering a single multilingual access point to Europe‘s distributed cultural heritage information

“A digital library that is a single, direct and multilingual access point to the European cultural heritage.”European Parliament, 27 September 2007

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Europeana aggregates content from aggregators and individual data providers

APENETAPENET

ArchivesArchives

LibrariesLibraries

MuseumsMuseums

TV archivesTV archives

The European LibraryThe European Library

ATHENAATHENA

European Film GatewayEuropean Film Gateway

Film archivesFilm archives

EuscreenEuscreen

MLAsMLAs

www.bam-portal.dewww.bam-portal.de

MLAsMLAs

Culture.frCulture.fr

MLAsMLAs

CulturaItalia.itCulturaItalia.it

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ATHENA

Encouragingmuseums to sharetheir content withEuropeana andsupporting them inthe process

Europe 2020

“We want Europe to become a smart, sustainable, inclusive economy”

Flagship initiative:

• Digital Agenda for Europe 2010Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Scial Committee and the Committee of the Regions. A digital agenda for Europe

Brussels, 19.05.2010 COM(2010) 245

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/index_en.htm

Europe 2020

Communication A Digital Agenda for Europe:• 2.7.3. Promoting cultural diversity and creative content

The 2005 UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity (ratified at EU level in 2006) provides for the promotion and protection of cultural diversity across the world and applies equally to new digital environments. In fact the new digital media can permit a wider distribution of cultural and creative content, because the reproduction is cheaper and quicker and creates more opportunities for authors and content providers to reach new and larger – even global - audiences. The internet is also a driver of greater pluralism in the media, giving both access to a wider range of sources and points of view as well as the means for individuals – who might otherwise be denied the opportunity – to express themselves fully and openly.

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/index_en.htm

DC-NET

DC-NET is an ERA-NET aiming to the coordination of programmes

Research field: e-Infrastructures for the digital cultural heritage

I. to establish a dialogue between the cultural heritage, the ICT research and the e-Infrastructures

II. to explore how e-Infrastructures can add value to the research in the digital cultural heritage and to anticipate a range of advanced services

III. to develop and endorse a Joint Activities Plan (commitment from the stakeholders)

INDICATE (Mediterranean Region)

www.dc-net.orgwww.indicate-project.eu

European Research Area - JPI

• Joint Programming Initiative “Cultural Heritage and Global Change”

"Cultural Heritage and Global Change: a new challenge for Europe“ (EC Recommendation 26/4/2010)

http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/areas/programming/joint_programming_en.htm

Joint Programming InitiativeCultural Heritage

Tangible Cultural Heritage

Digital Cultural Heritage

NET-HERITAGE DC-NET

European Research Area - JPI

• The overall aim of Joint Programming is to pool national research efforts in order to make better use of Europe's public R&D resources and to tackle common European challenges more effectively.It will follow a structured strategic process whereby Member States agree common visions and strategic research agendas to address major societal challenges.

• It combines the strategic framework, a bottom-up approach and high-level commitment from Member States.

• Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions towards joint programming in research: Working together to tackle common challenges more effectively Brussels, 15.7.2008 COM(2008) 468

http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/areas/programming/joint_programming_en.htm

DATA MODEL, ORGANISATION,GOVERNANCE

DIGITAL CULTURAL HERITAGE

e-INFRASTRUCTUR

E

Local, National and Regional programmes and initiatives

Linked Heritage

RECOMMENDATIONS & GUIDELINES

2002 2004 2008 2009 2011 2014

EUROPEANA

2002 2005 2010 2014

Digital Technologies and Cultural Heritage

• Digital technologies and the Internet offer powerful means to pursue the mission of cultural institutions

• But they not neutral and have to be governed and managed

• And they are extensions, not the real thing

• Our diverse cultural heritage– Richness– Identity– Stories– Share

• Cultural Institutions help us know, understand, enjoy, use cultural heritage objects

• European cultural heritage is a common layer underneath many EU policies

Culture in the Treaty of Lisbon

• A point in the Preamble specifies that the Treaty draws: ‘inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe, from which have developed the universal values of the inviolable and inalienable rights of the human person, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law’

• Art. 3 of the Treaty, 3rd paragraph, states that the European Union: “shall respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity, and shall ensure that Europe's cultural heritage is safeguarded and enhanced”.

• Under the Title I, “Categories and areas of the Union’s competence”, at art. 6, the Treaty lists various areas where the EU has the “competence to carry out actions to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the Member States”. Culture is one of these areas.

(a) protection and improvement of human health;(b) industry;(c) culture;(d) tourism;(e) education, vocational training, youth and sport;(f) civil protection;(g) administrative cooperation.

Culture in the Treaty of Lisbon

Title XIII, Article 167 (ex Article 151 TEC)

1. The Union shall contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore.

2. Action by the Union shall be aimed at encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, supporting and supplementing their action in the following areas:– improvement of the knowledge and dissemination of the culture and history of the European peoples,– conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage of European significance,– non-commercial cultural exchanges,– artistic and literary creation, including in the audiovisual sector.

Culture in the Treaty of Lisbon

Title XIII, Article 167 (ex Article 151 TEC)

3. The Union and the Member States shall foster cooperation with third countries and the competent international organisations in the sphere of culture, in particular the Council of Europe.

4. The Union shall take cultural aspects into account in its action under other provisions of the Treaties, in particular in order to respect and to promote the diversity of its cultures.

5. In order to contribute to the achievement of the objectives referred to in this Article:

– the European Parliament and the Council acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and after consulting the Committee of the Regions, shall adopt incentive measures, excluding any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States.

- the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, shall adopt recommendations.

• Art. 300, paragraph 2 on the Economic and Social Committee states that:“The Committee shall consist of representatives of organisations of employers, of the employed, and of other parties representative of civil society, notably in socio-economic, civic, professional and cultural areas.”

Culture in the Treaty of Lisbon

CoE FARO Convention • Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of

Cultural Heritage for Society• Entry into force: 1 June 2011• A framework of reference for heritage policies, focussing upon rights and

responsibiities and the positive benefits which can be drawn from the use of the heritage as cultural capital

• Growing importance of the cultural heritage relative to:– Sustainable development: cultural heritages are seen as precious

resources in the integration of the different dimensions of development: cultural, ecological, economic, social and political. Cultural heritage is vauable for its own sake and for the contribution it can make to other policies

– Globalisation: cultural heritages are resources for the protection of cultural diversity and sense of place in the face of growing standardisation

– Renewed awareness of the cultural identity dimension in conflicts: cultural heritages are resources on which to develop dialogue, democratic debate and openness between cultures

CoE FARO Convention

• Preamble• Art. 1 Aims of the Convention• Art. 2 Definitions• Art. 3 The Common Heritage of Europe• Art. 4 Rights and responsibilities relating to cultural heritage• Art. 5 Cultural heritage law and policies• Art. 6 Effects of the Convention• Art. 7 Cultural heritage and dialogue• Art. 8 Environment, heritage and quality of life• Art.9 Sustainable use of cultural heritage• Art. 10 Cultural heritage and economic activity• Art. 11 The organisation of public responsaiilities for cultural

heritage• Art. 12 Access to cultural heritage and democratic participation• Art. 13 Cultural heritage and knowledge• Art. 14 Cultural heritage and the information society• […]

• Article 2 – Definitions

For the purposes of this Convention,

a cultural heritage is a group of resources inherited from the past which people identify, independently of ownership, as a reflection and expression of their constantly evolving values, beliefs, knowledge and traditions. It includes all aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time;

b a heritage community consists of people who value specific aspects of cultural heritage which they wish, within the framework of public action, to sustain and transmit to future generations

CoE FARO Convention

• Article 3 –The common heritage of Europe

The Parties agree to promote an understanding of the common heritage of Europe, which consists of:

a all forms of cultural heritage in Europe which together constitute a shared source of remembrance, understanding, identity, cohesion and creativity, and

b the ideals, principles and values, derived from the experience gained through progress and past conflicts, which foster the development of a peaceful and stable society, founded on respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

CoE FARO Convention

Thank you for your kind attention!