Repository Research for Cultural Heritage Resources
There is growing international interest in issues of preservation, analysis, and access to artifacts, manuscripts, and related materials of cultural heritage. Where IMLS and NSF interest was initially raised in response to looting in post-invasion Iraq, this interest has broadened beyond the Middle East to other geographic areas, and continues to include a knowledge repository, or digital library, of cultural heritage resources as a central feature. Such a resource could not only facilitate access to related cultural heritage resources in different types of institutions throughout the world but could also serve as a security and preservation repository in the case of theft or loss of physical resources.
In the 15 years of progress in digital libraries, it has become apparent
that the same technology challenges that apply to advancing science also
apply to cultural heritage resources and may even surpass the challenges
for science – i.e., handling artifacts such as cuneiform tablets
and original manuscripts. It is critical to note that advancing technologies
can contribute to the preservation and study of cultural artifacts, while
also making them broadly available to society.
This interest group will explore the opportunity to build an agenda of
collaborative research that leverages SIS capabilities and interests in
new and creative ways. The areas of interest might include (but are
not limited to) information retrieval of non-textual resources and cross-lingual
retrieval, navigation and visualization of vast information stores, and
how medical technology is being used in the identification and preservation
of antiquities. IMLS, NSF, the Mellon Foundation, and the Getty Trust
have all been actively engaged in fostering discussion around these topics
and indicate substantial interest in funding related work. IMLS may release
a call for proposals early next year to initiate research leading to online
repositories of cultural heritage materials.
Faculty
- Ronald Larsen, Chair
- Chris Tomer
- Daqing He
- Martin Weiss
- Michael Spring
- Michael Lewis
- Peter Brusilovsky
- Richard Cox
- Roger Flynn
- Toni Carbo