The Calimera Project is funded
under the European Commission,
Calimera Guidelines
IST Programme
Cultural Applications:
Local Institutions Mediating
Electronic Resources
Cultural
identity
and cohesion
|
Calimera
Guidelines |
The issues
dealt with in this guideline include:
Cultural
community information
POLICY
ISSUES Back to Scope
There are a great many definitions of culture. A society or community
can be identified by its culture, the shared knowledge and traditions which are
passed down through the generations. In this sense Europe has both one culture
and many cultures. Each individual
needs to have a sense of identity, community and place, of belonging to a
culture. However, as Ghandi said, No
culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive. So cultural diversity is
linked to social inclusion; community cohesion exists in a socially inclusive
society in which diverse cultures live together in mutual understanding. Romani
Prodi, President of the European Commission in February 2004, described Europe
as A Union of diversity where differences
are accepted and perceived as enriching the whole, He said that Europeans
live with multiple allegiances – to home town, to own region, to home country,
and to the European Union. [1]
The new EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, Viviane
Reding, has vowed to be the "commissioner
for innovation, inclusion and creativity". “Innovation must act as a driving force in the Lisbon process;
inclusion will combat the digital divide and strengthen European identity and
its cultural diversity, by means of media pluralism that will provide free
expression for creativity”. Mrs Reding added that "the new technologies must help ensure a wider distribution of
the images, stories, histories and identities of the people of Europe"
[2].
There is also a wider idea that culture is “everything we do” and that
there are interfaces between culture and knowledge, learning and information
for everyday life.
The European Union supports actions designed to stimulate the
preservation, development and promotion of culture [3], which it defines as “language, literature, performing arts, visual arts, architecture,
crafts, the cinema and broadcasting” [4]. Its
cultural policy centres on respect for cultural identity and diversity and its
aim is to preserve and support this diversity and make it accessible to all.
The Council of Europe’s Cultural Policy
and Action website [5] lists useful
publications on subjects such as cultural diversity and conflict prevention.
The EU supports community cohesion through a range of actions, policies,
themes, programmes and projects including:
·
the Culture
2007 programme (2007-2013) [6]. This is intended to replace CULTURE 2000 [7] which ends in 2006. Building on the March
2004 Communication entitled Making
citizenship Work: fostering European culture and diversity through programmes
for Youth, Culture, Audiovisual and Civic Participation [8], its general objective is the achievement
of a common cultural area through cultural co-operation and the development of
a European identity from the grass roots. It will give cultural operators and
citizens more opportunities to promote cultural heritage, create networks, to
implement projects, to be more mobile and to enhance the cultural dialogue
within Europe and with other parts of the world;
·
the
eContentplus
programme (2005-2008) [9]. This has been
proposed as a successor to the eContent
programme [10] which ends in 2004. It will
encourage the combination of information from different systems, irrespective
of format, language or location. To achieve this, digital content must be
better adapted to meet the needs of users, and capable of being distributed via
different platforms. The programme will focus on three types of information:
geographical data, educational material and cultural content;
·
the Digicult
programme [11] which is carrying out
research into technologies which have the potential to improve the accessibility,
visibility and recognition of Europe's cultural and scientific resources;
·
the
Culture
and Society theme [12], which focuses
on eGovernment, social inclusion, culture and languages;
·
the
eInclusion
programme [13] which aims to promote
eInclusion as a “core horizontal building block in the establishment of the
Information Society to ensure equal access and participation for all in
Europe”;
The EU IST
(Information Society Technologies) conference held in November 2004 included a workshop entitled Interactive Living Heritage, which
discussed “the need to unlock the
creative potential of the European citizen, of the communities of the enlarged
Europe, and of its diverse cultural organisations, large and small (including,
but not limited to, libraries, museums and archives)”. [14]
The Europe and
Culture portal [15] gives information about what is happening,
fields of activity, funding, and links to individual national cultural portals
and websites.
The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, UNESCO, 2001 [16], adopted in the wake of the events in New
York on 11th September 2001, is relevant to museums, libraries and
archives as it notes that culture is at the heart of contemporary debates about
identity, social cohesion, and the development of a knowledge-based economy.
For a discussion about the role of cultural institutions in preserving cultural
identity and promoting social cohesion see Cultural
diversity: common heritage, plural identities, Unesco, 2002 [17].
Memory and heritage institutions need to work together to create new
resources covering local history, cultural events, local cultural content and
community information. It is important to use standards to avoid problems with
interoperability (see the guidelines on Digitisation
and Digital
preservation). Much can be done to co-ordinate activities on a national and
regional level as well as at a local level. Examples of good practice at
national level are the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in the UK and
the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority (see Links).
GOOD PRACTICE
GUIDELINES Back to Scope
Cultural diversity Back to Scope
Cultural diversity is enshrined in the Treaty establishing the European
Union [3]. “Language, literature,
performing arts, visual arts, architecture, crafts, the cinema and broadcasting
are all part of Europe’s cultural diversity. Although belonging to a specific
country or region, they represent part of Europe’s cultural heritage. The aim
of the European Union is double: to preserve and support this diversity and to
help to make it accessible to others.” [4]
Cultural diversity is thought by many to be as important to humankind as
biodiversity is to nature, and that therefore it must be protected against the
threat of globalisation – this theory underpins the Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity, UNESCO, 2001 [16]. With new countries joining the EU, the total
population will approach 500 million by 2007, representing an immense richness
of cultural diversity. As storehouses of this diverse cultural heritage,
museums, libraries and archives across Europe have long been involved in a wide
range of activities designed to support access to culture. There are two
strands to this:
·
providing
access to local cultural resources to a potentially global audience by making
full use of ICT. This can enable people to learn about other cultures and
support cultural tourism etc.;
·
providing
access to services and resources to a culturally diverse local community (see
the guideline on Social
inclusion). It goes without saying that museums, libraries
and archives should comply with any laws concerning cultural diversity, such as
race relations, human rights, equal opportunities or anti-discrimination
legislation. Cultural heritage organisations will first need to discover
through community profiling the composition of their target communities,
establish what barriers exist for particular groups, and identify any gaps in
the services provided. They should ensure that collections and exhibitions
reflect the cultural and social diversity of the communities served by, for
example:
°
having permanent policies
and programmes in place which support cultural diversity;
°
providing services which
are sensitive to the mores of each sector;
°
providing services, and
materials, in all relevant languages (see the guideline on Multilingualism);
°
collecting materials
relating to the history and culture of all sectors;
°
staging exhibitions and
events which celebrate cultural diversity;
°
incorporating cultural
diversity into all exhibitions and events wherever possible;
°
employing staff from
different cultural sectors of the community, and/or employing staff with
language skills and other cultural knowledge;
°
promoting and marketing
services to all sectors;
°
consulting with and making
partnerships with all sectors to ensure that services are meeting their needs
and to measure impact.
Supporting
cultural diversity brings educational, economic and social benefits and
contributes to agendas on lifelong learning, social inclusion and economic
regeneration:
·
people can learn about
other cultures;
·
people from all cultural
backgrounds will be encouraged to use the services, gain confidence, learn new
skills which might lead to employment or improved job prospects, etc.;
·
more people using the
service could attract more funding for the organisation;
·
a culturally diverse user
base can bring new ideas and innovation into the service;
·
a market can be
provided for works of minority and specialised interest, regardless of economic
return. Digitisation and the Internet provide a platform for these products;
·
cultural
tourism can be fostered (see the guideline on Social
and economic development).
Local history, histories of houses, places, migration, indigenous
populations, displaced groups, etc., and family history, underpin cultural
identity and stimulate a sense of community. These are key subjects for
museums, libraries and archives and important areas for co-operation among
them. There is a growing interest in family history, and the exploration of
personal identity. In the case of ethnic minorities this can include finding
out where their ancestors came from, why they or their ancestors moved,
etc. Museums, libraries and archives,
can provide the resources for this research, such as literature, art, music,
objects etc. from around the world, records of births, marriages, deaths,
adoptions, evidence relating to migration, census documents, etc. Digitisation makes possible the searching of
resources relating to a particular culture regardless of whether these are in a
museum, library or archive, or even if they are in another town or
country.
Community
cohesion Back to Scope
The independent thinktank Demos has published a report “Europe in
the creative age” in which it puts forward the view that creative people
prefer to live in tolerant societies, and that tolerant societies therefore
attract talented and creative people who contribute to technological
innovation. [18]
In 1997 ICOM (the International Council of Museums) published Museums and Cultural Diversity: Policy
Statement, which recognised the
crucial role museums can play in promoting and strengthening community
cohesion. What it says can be applied to the whole cultural heritage sector. [19] It is crucial that cultural diversity
does not lead to division, but to community cohesion, which requires that there
is a shared sense of belonging and an understanding and respect for difference,
linguistic, ethnic, religious and cultural. It is the view of the EU that all
Europeans must be given the opportunity to develop a sense of identity with
Europe and with their local community, while at the same time enjoying their own
cultural identity. Museums, libraries
and archives can play a key role in promoting community cohesion:
·
they hold the
resources from which people can learn about their roots and how they interact
with others (see the guideline on Learning);
·
they can
provide places and activities where people from different backgrounds can work
and play together (see the guideline on Social
inclusion);
·
they can
provide access for disabled people (see the guideline on Accessibility
for disabled people);
·
they can
co-operate with other agencies to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour (see
the guideline on Co-operation
and partnership);
·
they can
provide information which people need to be active citizens (see the guideline
on eGovernment
and citizenship);
·
they can
provide people with opportunities to learn new skills and contribute to social
and economic development (see the guideline on Social
and economic development);
·
they can
provide access to resources in all relevant languages (see the guideline on Multilingualism);
·
they can bring
people together in communities of interest, or virtual communities, regardless
of geography, background or circumstance;
·
they can help
people to set up community archives and websites (see content creation). Taking part in
this type of project can be used to bring divided communities together. A good
example is the commaNET community archive system which has been used in
Northern Ireland and Cyprus (see Links).
Content
creation Back to Scope
Increasingly digitisation is being carried out in locally-based cultural
heritage institutions, and members of the community are getting involved. People need to feel ownership of their local museums, libraries and
archives, and one way of inspiring this is through content creation. Sharing in content creation can also be used
to bring divided communities together. Schools, colleges, community groups and
individuals can put together their own archives containing photographs, film
and video footage, personal documents, oral history contributions, and
ephemera. Good examples are the CHIMER
and COINE projects
(see Links). Such collections can make valuable
additions to local history resources. Museums, libraries and archives can play
a key role by helping the creators to implement standards, ensuring quality,
digitising, indexing and classifying such collections, and making them
available to a wide audience.
Although
such content creation usually starts with family photographs and personal
reminiscences, the people involved can develop wider historical interests. This
provides an opportunity for museums, libraries and archives to contribute to
lifelong learning by supporting people undertaking background research. People
involved also learn ICT skills and may improve their skills and confidence
generally.
Sites
on which people can tell their own story are becoming very popular. There are
hundreds of web sites which now invite people to add their own story to an
archive. Photographs and recordings can also be submitted in some cases. One
example is the BBC’s WW2 People's War
(see Links). Community archives can be
formed around any theme - communities of people from the same area, or who
share an interest, or who lived through a particular experience. Doing
something active like contributing to an archive fosters a sense of belonging
and can be the start of active participation in the community. Volunteers are
often involved in such projects, helping people to write their stories or to
put them in the web, recording oral histories, taking photographs etc., and this
too can be a way of taking an active part in society.
Cultural
heritage institutions can also set up virtual community websites where people
are drawn together by common interests regardless of geographical or cultural
barriers. (See Links).
Cultural
community information (see also the guideline on Social
and economic development) Back to Scope
Local cultural heritage institutions
are in a good position to provide this sort of information, which is clearly
suitable for digitisation. It may include:
·
local
events;
·
local
places to visit;
·
local
theatres, cinemas, concerts etc.;
·
local
voluntary groups including organisations for dramatic and choral societies,
photography clubs, gardening clubs, etc.;
·
tourist
information.
In large cities, towns and regions, there are often centralised local
authority departments which sponsor cultural institutions with a strong
strategic interest in this work. Public libraries are well-placed to
demonstrate that they have the skills to lead in this area on behalf of the
local authority, working in partnership with other agencies and local
organisations to maintain accurate and up to date information, supplied in a
form compatible with agreed standards. Many public libraries produce community
information databases searchable by subject, place and organisation name and
provide links to other community information pages in the same region.
Diverse cultural content (see also the guidelines on Multimedia
services, Digitisation
and Digital
preservation) Back to Scope
Cultural diversity includes the entire range of cultural expressions,
creations and activities of any given group, and music, film, literature and
broadcasting are among them. The dissemination of audiovisual resources is an
effective way of sharing cultural identities. Local cultural institutions may
organise events to promote diverse experiences and points of view and encourage
dialogue between groups. They also have a duty to reflect diversity in the
material they acquire and preserve.
Music and sound (e.g. folk music, contemporary music, oral
history) play a very important part in cultural identity. The role of cultural
heritage institutions with regard to digital music and sound is to provide
services such as:
·
information
about the music and oral culture of societies;
·
provision
of downloadable music and sound (subject to copyright issues);
·
facilities
to record and preserve music and sound archives;
·
provision
of music and sound to broadcasting organisations;
·
creation
of and access to oral history resources and sound archives.
Visual resources such as film, video and photographs are also important to a community’s
cultural identity. Nearly 700,000 prints of films are held in various film archives throughout the European
Union. Considering the fundamental place cinema occupies in Europe’s historical
and cultural heritage, the conservation of this vast collection of films is
clearly of vital importance. Programmes such as MEDIA [20], aim to assist with this through training
and the promotion of film festivals etc. The European Commission has also
proposed adopting a recommendation of the European Parliament and Council on
legal deposit of audio-visual materials and state funding for film preservation
[21].
Co-operation with audiovisual concerns such as film producers and
television companies is desirable so that films and television programmes can be digitised and made available over the
Internet. Most
television is now produced in digital format. TV companies such as the
Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision [22] are working on strategies to preserve hundreds of
thousands of hours of broadcast material in authentic ways.
Digital cameras have revolutionised the way photographs are taken and used. It is
now very easy to add photographs to websites etc., but there is a threat from
the fact that photographs have become ephemeral and disposable. If people were to cease to keep
for example family photographs in physical form this would be a loss to historical archives. Therefore preservation
of photographic material should be at the core of any digitisation project. The
EU funded project SEPIA
is researching the digitisation, cataloguing and preservation of photographic
materials [23].
Digitisation has the potential to give very wide access to cultural
content and to strengthen cultural networking (see the guideline on Digitisation).
More and more cultural resources in diverse formats are becoming available
electronically and online. Museums, libraries and archives are digitising their
collections at a rapid rate, and are also creating cultural content themselves.
Museum, archive and library sites include those of physical institutions and
virtual institutions. There are many projects designed to enable everyone to
participate more fully in the arts and culture (see Links).
The EU supported a number of projects under the Fifth and Sixth
Framework Programmes to carry out research into audio-visual resources, films
and local history projects including BRAVA,
CHIMER,
CIPHER,
COINE, DIAMANT,
ECHO, FIRST, METAVISION,
PRESTO and PRESTOSPACE.
Details of these plus a comprehensive list of projects can be found on the IST
(Information Society Technologies) website [24].
FUTURE
AGENDA Back to Scope
Cultural diversity should be part of mainstream activity and integrated
into policies, planning and budgeting. The UNESCO Public Library Manifesto
proclaims “belief in the public library
as a living force for education, culture and information, and as an essential
agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men
and women” [25]. This could apply equally to museums and archives.
Museums, libraries and archives should pilot the creation of resources
relevant to the needs of their communities, which in large metropolises can be
very diverse. The trend is for users to become more and more involved in
creating and collecting resources, and this should be encouraged as it helps
people to learn new skills, involves them in the community, and supports
e-learning, eGovernment and social inclusion agendas.
Community cohesion is strengthened when people know about each
other. Museums, libraries and archives
are in a strong position to enable people to learn about other cultures.
The generation of content, such as community information, may become more
sophisticated and involve co-operative projects. Institutions can develop and
promote tools which help individuals to work together as a group.
The digitisation of cultural collections will continue until a
substantial proportion of the cultural heritage of Europe is available in one
way or another by digital means. Local content will form an increasing part of
this picture. Museums, archives, libraries of all types, community and
voluntary organisations, private and business sectors will need to work jointly
to ensure that this material is accessible.
More and more material will be “born digital” and museums, libraries and
archives will need to develop strategies for dealing with this if it is not to
be lost to future generations. E-mail has largely replaced letter-writing;
digital images have replaced photographs, cine-film, and video; broadcasting
companies are producing round the clock digital television and radio programmes
which have replaced tapes and video; downloadable music is taking over from
records, tapes, CDs and DVDs. It is particularly important to ensure that the
diverse cultural heritage of communities is not lost in an increasingly
globalised world. (See the guideline on
Digital
preservation).
Staff in museums, libraries and archives should be trained in relevant
legislation regarding human rights, etc., and in how to be sensitive to the
cultural diversity of the user population.
Specialist staff, or staff trained in the subject, should be provided
for music, film etc.
REFERENCES Back to Scope
[1] Romano Prodi, President of the
European Commission: A Union of minorities. Seminar on Europe - Against
anti-Semitism, for a Union of Diversity. Brussels, 19 February 2004.
[2]
Reding pledges "innovation, inclusion and creativity" in information
society. http://www.euractiv.com/Article?tcmuri=tcm:29-130372-16&type=News
[3] “The Community shall contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the
member states, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at
the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore” (article
151 of the Treaty establishing the European Union)
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/treaties/selected/livre234.html
[4]
Activities of the European Union: Culture
http://europa.eu.int/pol/cult/index_en.htm
[5]
Council of Europe: Cultural policy and action
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Cultural_Co-operation/culture/
[6] Proposal for a decision of the
European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Culture 2007 programme
(2007-2013). July 2004. http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/newprog/com1_en.pdf
[9]
eContentplus programme 2005-2008 http://www.cordis.lu/ist/directorate_e/telearn/econtentplus.htm
[10]
eContent programme
2001-2004 http://www.cordis.lu/econtent/home.html
[11]
Preservation and enhancement of Cultural Heritage / DigiCULT http://www.cordis.lu/ist/directorate_e/digicult/programme.htm
[12]
European Culture and Society in the Digital Age http://europa.eu.int/information_society/soccul/index_en.htm
[13]
the eInclusion
programme http://www.cordis.lu/ist/so/einclusion/home.html
[14]
IST event 2005: Conference workshop details: Interactive Living Heritage. http://europa.eu.int/information_society/istevent/2004/cf/vieweventdetail.cfm?ses_id=373&eventType=session
[15]
Europe and Culture portal http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture//index_en.htm
[16]
The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, UNESCO, 2001 http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2450&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html