Technology and public access to cultural heritage: The Italian experience on ICT for public historical archives

Abstract

The introduction and diffusion of digital technologies have had a tremendous impact on the production, preservation and utilisation of cultural heritage. In Italy, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MiBACT) has undertaken several programs involving the use of digital technology to promote a larger access to cultural heritage, through the collection of metadata on cultural products preserved in the country and the provision of digital cultural products. Digitisation techniques and web infrastructures affect most activities carried out by such institutions: the production of cultural goods, the use and valorisation of cultural heritage, as well as the costs of preservation. This study analyses the digital projects carried out by the MiBACT for the preservation and utilisation of cultural heritage that is managed by public historic archives so as to evaluate their impact on the access to cultural products.