It is no longer possible to see records as a by-product of our activities. The production, management and use of information has become an issue discussed in boardrooms. The world begins to apprehend that sustainable access to information is a matter of government and policy.
The government of information transcends the span of control of heritage institutions. Government, industry and civil society need each other’s help. If we want to secure long term preservation of information, we need to be able to influence the design of our digital infrastructure and architecture in the short term.
UNESCO’s Charter for the Digital Heritage highlighted the need for cooperation amongst many different stakeholders in order to overcome the specific challenges that digital heritage poses already in 2003:
Preservation of the digital heritage requires sustained efforts on the part of governments, creators, publishers, relevant industries and heritage institutions. In the face of the current digital divide, it is necessary to reinforce international cooperation and solidarity to enable all countries to ensure creation, dissemination, preservation and continued accessibility of their digital heritage. Industries, publishers and mass communication media are urged to promote and share knowledge and technical expertise.
At the first UNESCO International Conference on Memory of the World in the Digital Age (Vancouver, 2012), Martin Berendse argued for ‘an international coalition to realize a Roadmap for the Digital Preservation of the Memory of the World’. At a meeting in The Hague (Netherlands) on 5 and 6 December 2013, high-level representatives from heritage institutions, industry and government are invited to agree upon such a coalition.
As a preparation for the Hague ‘meeting, this preparatory workshop will collect feedback from the global heritage community on this initiative and gain up to date information on issues that the platform should tackle.
AGENDA
