Category Archives: General information

Discussion of the impact of digitizing traditional works of music

An interesting, well researched and still up-to-date article from Dean Bartholomew, first published in 2000 and available on the website of the NGO “Cultural Survival”, shows the possible negative effects caused by digitization for minority heritage. These however can be solved by the buildup of professionally developed digital libraries: Continue reading Discussion of the impact of digitizing traditional works of music

Endangered heritage – the case of the Transylvanian Saxon fortress churches

With regard to the previous article about 3D reconstruction of destroyed or decayed historical buildings, there is unfortunately a recent case where such an application is necessary after all what is left of a historical fortress church tower is only debris:

rothbach_chelu_2016

Photo: Christian Chelu (http://www.siebenbuerger.de/zeitung/artikel/rumaenien/16428-kampf-gegen-die-zeit-erste.html)

Continue reading Endangered heritage – the case of the Transylvanian Saxon fortress churches

The “Google Cultural Institute” as a platform for presenting minority heritage

After the success of the Google Art Project where museums all over the globe can present their works of art in online exhibitions, Google Inc. further expanded the platform and provides now a multitude of content under the virtual roof of a “Cultural Institute”:

Viscri at Google Cultural Institute

Photo: https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/browse/transilvania 

Continue reading The “Google Cultural Institute” as a platform for presenting minority heritage

Collection of the Armenian cultural heritage in Bucharest

The Digital Library of Bucharest (formerly “DacoRomanica”), operated by the Metropolitan Library, started a few years ago the buildup of a collection of the cultural heritage of the Armenian minority on the territory of Romania. As was stated by Florin Rotaru, the founder and former director of DacoRomanica and initiator of the portal of collections of ethnical minority heritage (“Bucharests Multiculturalism“), the project was triggered by a large, but finally unperilous fire in 2008 in the building which hosted the library and archive of the Armenian Church in Bucharest. Continue reading Collection of the Armenian cultural heritage in Bucharest

Digitizing and presenting minority heritage – from the ,classical’ to the ,digital cultural canon’

The following paper was presented by Albert Weber (Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (Regensburg/Germany)) at the Conference „Regional Identity and Social Cohesion” on 25 October 2013 in Timişoara/Romania.

Abstract

In the past years digital national libraries have been founded in almost every European state. Despite their partially high technical standards these libraries often do not follow yet elaborated digitization strategies, a fact that displays itself especially in the selection of materials for digitization: most digitized materials belong to the state nation, i.e. the majority, while the heritage of the historical national minorities within the state as well as of the own minorities abroad is often neglected, or not properly presented by a clear separation from the majority’s materials. The present paper discusses the currently existing possibilities for efficiently digitizing and presenting the cultural materials of a nation and its neighboring historical national minorities as well as of multicultural regions populated by several ethnic groups. The paper concludes with a short analysis of the importance of digitization (“digital cultural motorics”) for individual, social and ethnic identities by theorizing about the relation of the classical cultural canon and the digital cultural canon, which is forming today and deeply influencing the future cultural development. Continue reading Digitizing and presenting minority heritage – from the ,classical’ to the ,digital cultural canon’

Strategy paper on the digitization of the German-language cultural heritage from Eastern Europe

The following scheme is proposing a series of general guidelines on the process of digitizing German-language cultural heritage in East and Southeast Europe and explicitly requesting a critical feedback or review; please comment on it or write a reply post in order to initiate a continued discussion on the topic. Continue reading Strategy paper on the digitization of the German-language cultural heritage from Eastern Europe

Minorities Records – a blog dedicated to the digitization of minority heritage

In the past years major regional and national digital libraries have been founded in every European state. Despite their partially high technical standards these libraries do not follow yet in the most cases digitization strategies which would serve the representation of the entire cultural heritage of their collection area: almost all digitized materials belong to the state nation, i.e. the majority, while the cultural heritage of the historical ethnical minorities within the state as well as of the own minorities abroad is mostly neglected or not properly presented by a clear separation from the majority’s materials. The result is a substantially reduced or even fragmentary presentation of minority heritage in the virtual world in comparison to the majority, similar to the situation criticized by Jean-Noël Jeanneney regarding the dominance of the English language and culture.

The proposed blog discusses the challenge of properly digitizing and presenting minority heritage by establishing a communication platform for the international community for cultural and information science, for the digital humanities as well as for librarians and archivists – and for the representatives of the minorities themselves.