Digital Archives of Local Tradition – regional heritage conservation

Abstract

The article presents different aspects of digitization processes, focusing on the case example of the project Digital Archives of Local Tradition undertaken by the Karta Foundation. A particular attention is given to the significance of those activities in and dependent on local communities that would include worldwide trends that aim at preserving heritage through an active collaboration with the internet community. The article also discusses the significance of the National Digital Archives, a national repository, as an example of a leading institution in archival digitization. In particular, emphasis is given to modern social trends related to preservation and to grass-root activities of public-spirited interest groups. The article highlights the fact that an efficient local repository creative process can be supported and driven by the commitment of volunteers – representatives of the community (e.g. OAP’s) – who play an important part in completing items for digital resources. The author focuses on legal aspects, copyright issues in particular, that oftentimes hamper, or even block, the efficacy of any digitization project. According to the author, digitization activities of grass-root and regional nature make way for a provision of efficient access to the internet space to communities, and thus the shared heritage of a community takes on a global dimension. The significance of a creation of an electronic repository is even more important in view of the fact that, in a way, it comes to the rescue of libraries that could face a catastrophic scenario of cultural devaluation and increasing civilizational outdateness.