Digital Cultural Heritage Networks
A survey for the Council of Europe on digital cultural heritage networks and projects in Europe and beyond
In December 2002, a meeting of members of the Council of Europe and representatives of European digital cultural heritage initiatives discussed the most pressing issues related to the rapidly growing amount of digital cultural content.
One of the major problems identified was the fragmented and in many respects uncoordinated approach of networks and projects concerned with digital cultural heritage. Many initiatives worked in parallel on the same or related problems with little exchange. Especially at the cross-domain level, information exchange and co-operation had not yet reached the desired degree to avoid double work and to ensure the most effective use of the anyway limited financial resources available to the cultural heritage sector.
Therefore, the Council of Europe decided to commission a survey of ongoing initiatives with regards to their objectives, areas of activities and future plans. The survey was conducted by Salzburg Research and allowed the Council to get a substantiated view on the European digital cultural heritage sector and involve visionaries, opinion leaders and decision makers in a consultation process on the further development of the sector.
