Description
The project aims to develop an advanced and innovative platform for equal and fair access to culture and to support citizens’ active participation in contemporary cultural life through the creation of four digital centres for cultural history documentation. These will be established in the Sofia City Library, Sofia Art Gallery, Sofia Central Mineral Bath – “Museum of History of Sofia” and the Municipal Cultural Institute “Museum of History of Sofia”. Their collections of pictures, books, rare printed editions, historical assets and documents (objects of historical value), movable cultural values will be digitized, resulting in 510 digitized items. The general goal is in line with the objectives of the programme, relevant national and EU policies and the Strategy for Culture Development in Sofia as it increases citizens' access to cultural goods and services. The target groups (researchers, students, tourists, municipal staff, and cultural institutions) benefit from the work of the four centres involved in the project. The donor project partner (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU)), with its professional services for cultural heritage authorities and whose main area of expertise is the conservation of art and buildings, will cooperate by exchaning best practices in the sphere of cultural heritage subjected to digitization, organization and participation in seminars, partnership meetings and information and publicity measures.
Summary of project results
Thе project aimed at the establishment of four digitized centers, in which the cultural history of Bulgaria will be documented, and with this a greater institutional and public participation of the Bulgarian cultural heritage in European cultural exchange will be achieved, and will also contribute to the protection and preservation of the cultural heritage of Bulgaria for future generations. The subjects covered by this project proposal are - "Sofia Art Gallery", "Sofia City Library", Central Mineral Bath -"Museum of History in Sofia" and Municipal Cultural Institute "Museum of Sofia History". The interactive exhibition ensured the conservation of the fund of the City Library, Sofia Art Gallery, Sofia Central Mineral Bath - "Museum of History in Sofia", Municipal Cultural Institute "Museum of History in Sofia" in a modern format allowing an access to it from both - various devices and various locations. Furthermore, the Fund will compensate the inability for exposure in permanent exhibition. In this way the set of target groups targeted by the project proposal took advantage of all the units of digitized cultural institutions involved in the project. Using a specially designed software for the project all digitized units are uploaded in a form suitable for publication in the European network, for publishing information and exchange in the field of cultural heritage - Europeana (
http://europeana.eu/,
http://labs. europeana.eu /), through which an access to the digitized content fund is provided for the academic field in Europe .
Summary of bilateral results
The cooperation between the applicant and the partner in the implementation of the project consists in the exchange of best practices in the field of cultural heritage - subject of digitization, organization and participation in seminars, partnership meetings and implementation of information and publicity measures. Both partners were responsible for the organization's implementation of this project in terms of coordination, cooperation, responsibilities to achieve the set indicators in the activities and their implementation. Within this was implemented exchange of experience in the field of good European practices; promotion of the cultural heritage of Bulgaria in Norway; increased awareness of civil society interested in the development of cultural heritage; increased public awareness of the project, its objectives and results, and the contribution of donor countries to preserving and popularizing cultural history and identity, and achieving sustainable and balanced development in the context of intercultural exchange. With this project between both partners layed down the foundations for a long-term and sustainable future cooperation on cultural and high - level issues public interest.