Premodern Digital Cultural Heritage: Networking Open-Access Image Repositories of Ancient and Medieval Content

越来越多的数字档案馆项目涉及文化遗产问题，从冲突地区考古遗址的历史照片数字化到记录受气候变化威胁的遗址数据。然而，这些项目往往没有尽可能地相互沟通，导致工作重复。此外，迄今为止，项目一直专注于学术受众，而不是其他用户群体，即使它们是博物馆和文化遗产专业人员，学生和其他群体的有用和重要资源。“前现代数字文化遗产”研究网络旨在通过促进英国和爱尔兰的开放获取（即免费获取）数字项目之间的合作来解决这两个问题，这些项目侧重于古代和中世纪的文化遗产，包括艺术，建筑和考古学。该网络由Manar al-Athar（“考古指南”）照片档案馆运营，该档案馆收集了中东和北非的考古遗址，建筑物和物品的图像。在接下来的一年里，该网络将举办三个研讨会，两个在都柏林大学学院，一个在牛津大学，使参与数字项目的成员能够聚集和讨论与项目任务，操作流程，可持续性，不同受众的可用性和可访问性有关的问题，并与年轻受众，特别是中学生联系。通过知识交流和协作，这些项目将旨在协调其活动，包括酌情将资源联系起来。讲习班将产生几个研究项目，针对不同群体。首先，该网络将专门为博物馆和文化遗产专业人员撰写两篇关于数字遗产项目之间的合作实践和利用数字项目进行研究的文章。第二，该网络将起草一份在中学讲授文化遗产问题的示范课程，目的是通过使用数字项目促进学校的遗产教育。最后，这些研究项目将在网络网站上免费提供，该网站将作为信息和进一步研究活动的主页。通过创造合作机会，“前现代数字文化遗产”网络将为博物馆和文化遗产专业人员、中学生、学术研究人员和其他受众带来有意义的成果。

Growing numbers of digital archive projects are engaging with cultural heritage issues, from digitising historic photos of archaeological sites in regions in conflict, to recording data on sites under threat from climate change. However, often these projects do not communicate with each other as best they could, leading to a duplication of efforts. Additionally, projects have been focused so far on academic audiences rather than on other groups of users, even though they are useful and important resources for museum and cultural heritage professionals, students, and other groups. The 'Premodern Digital Cultural Heritage' research network aims to address both of these issues by promoting collaboration between open-access (i.e. freely accessible) digital projects based in the UK and in Ireland that focus on ancient and medieval cultural heritage, including art, architecture, and archaeology. The network is run by the Manar al-Athar ('Guide to Archaeology') photo-archive of images of archaeological sites, buildings, and objects in the Middle East and North Africa. Over the course of the next year, the network will host three workshops, two at University College Dublin and one at the University of Oxford, allowing members of participating digital projects to gather and discuss issues related to project missions, operating processes, sustainability, usability and accessibility for different audiences, and outreach to younger audiences, particularly secondary school students. Through knowledge exchange and collaboration, the projects will aim to coordinate their activities, including linking resources when appropriate. Several research projects will emerge from the workshops, targeted at various groups. First, the network will produce two articles, intended especially for museum and cultural heritage professionals, on collaborative practices between digital heritage projects and on the use of digital projects for research. Second, the network will draft a model curriculum for the teaching of cultural heritage issues in secondary schools, with the aim of promoting heritage education in schools through the use of digital projects. Finally, these research projects will be made freely available on the network website that will serve as a home for information and further research activities. By producing opportunities for collaboration, the 'Premodern Digital Cultural Heritage' network will deliver meaningful results for museum and cultural heritage professionals, secondary school students, academic researchers, and other audiences.