Dear all,

I would like to hear from any of you who is currently
involved in the development, administration, or use of
digital archives of tangible and intangible heritage
preserved in cultural institutions.

Japanese government has embarked on a nationwide
digitization project called "Cultural Heritage Online"
last year. Preliminary research is currently going on
by a private think tank commissioned by the cultural
administrators. The outline of this research is copied
below. I am in a position to give critical and
constructive advice to this think tank as among those
Japanese working in museums in other countries.

Specifically, I would like you to point out which
aspect, if any, is missing in the following statement.
 What is a weak point of their idea, or what is your
suggestion to improve it? What other things do you
expect from Japanese counterparts given our
collaborative efforts in sharing digital assets? Your
frank opinions would be highly appreciated.

----copy----
Background
Japan Ministry of Public Management Home Affairs,
Posts and Telecommunications (MPHPT) and the Agency of
Culture, a subdivision of the Ministry of Education
and Science, have launched a project called
 $B!H (BCultural Heritage Online $B!I (B in 2003. This
is an internet portal where people can access
information about cultural heritage held in museums
and galleries in Japan. In order to build this online
system, MPHPT and the Agency of Culture are promoting
digitization of museum collections and information.

MPHPT are also developing a strategy to utilize
digitized materials and information for social,
economic and cultural purposes.

Aim of the research
-to gather information about initiatives related to
digital archives and online projects in cultural
sectors in Europe, United States, Canada, Australia,
Korea and Taiwan
-to provide reference for developing Cultural
Heritage Online in Japan

Issues examined
-national policy and strategy on digitization of
cultural heritage
-examples of good practice in online network services
-case studies in museums
-examples of educational and commercial use of
digitized materials
-technical issues such as metadata and standardization
-copyright issues

---------

Mariko Kageyama
Digital Imaging Specialist
Department of Mammalogy
American Museum of Natural History




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