Prospectus

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Digital Acces to Cultural Heritage

Course
2010-2011

Admission requirements

None.

Description

Creating digital access to collections of cultural heritage is hot. Institutions want to be present and accessible via the worldwide web. Still the digitisation of collections is in a developing phase, with many challenges in the fields of technique and policy lying ahead. This course deals with the variety of challenges for making cultural heritage collections and knowledge domains accessible in a digital form. It teaches that scanning (or imaging) is only step in a complex sequence of activities to be undertaken to make physical collections accessible and searchable via the interent. Topics include: selection and preparation; digitization; search and retrieval; digital preservation; legal aspects; emerging technologies; project management and planning; etc.
The course is facilitated by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands.

Course objectives

Students:

  • Gain a broad understanding of digitization concepts.

  • Become familiar with current digitization practice within the broader cultural heritage field.

  • Gain an understanding of the key processes in the planning and realization of digitization projects.

  • Gain experience with developing a project plan for a digitization project.

  • Gain knowledge of methods and standards for providing access to digital documents as well as knowledge of file formats, techniques, long-term preservation, usability and copyright issues.

  • Are equipped to think about future developments and effects of digitization on society and cultural heritage organizations.

  • Know how and where to find knowledge and examples of good practice

Timetable

The timetable will be available from June 1st on the Internet.

Mode of instruction

Three-hour seminar per week.

Assessment method

Final Paper 100%.

Blackboard

There will be a blackboard site available.

Reading list

To be announced.

Registration

Students can register through uSis.
Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Study in Leiden website for information on how to apply.

Contact information

Department Book and Digital Media Studies, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102c. Phone: 071 527 2144, or by mail: bookstudies@hum.leidenuniv.nl.