Digital Sharing of Resources of Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź

Internal analyses conducted by the museum have demonstrated that the institution holds resources that need to be supplemented with adequate technical and IT infrastructure. Rapid technical, technological, and civilisation progress, in particular in the area of ICT technologies, require the infrastructure operated by institutions that make cultural heritage and material available on-line to be continuously adapted to the changing reality. To meet these challenges and to actively co-create open space in which cultural resources are made available, the museum must continuously invest in top-notch technical and organisational solutions in this field. Servers and other IT equipment installed at the museum before the project were not sufficiently advanced to develop an adequate system of disseminating publications and enhance the effectiveness of digitisation process (digitisation of a bigger number of objects).  

Specific objectives of the project include: 

1. Digitisation and sharing data previously unavailable in digital format and/or not shared on the Internet. 
2. Data integration at substantive and structural levels to ensure high quality access to the content and the possibility of using it in the widest possible spectrum of applications.  
3. Setting up a repository of digitised artworks and software modernisation.  

The project is designed to achieve the following social and economic effects:  

1. Ensure access to data resources that were not available in digital format or, despite being digitised, were not shared in a format that would allow linking them with other resources of the same type.  

2. Provide professionals and the creative community (artists, art animators, or other participating entities) with tools that integrate data and facilitate launching collective activities. On the other hand, amateurs will get access to professional knowledge. 

3. Minimise the risk of destruction or damage to valuable collections held by the museum. 

4. Ensure multiple access to cultural resources without deteriorating their condition; practical implementation of the foundations of the idea of a modern ‘virtual museum’.  

As a result of planned IT activities, we will develop an IT system that will integrate and share data from the museum resources. Data originating from diverse sources within the museum will be based on the same metadata standard. They will be used by internal users, i.e., museum staff (working on source files of digitised artworks or managing sets of data through the museum IT system), external users – audiences and researchers (by getting access to presentations  and digitised artworks through the Internet portal), and also network services, such as API or digital integration that ensure cooperation between the system and domestic repositories (including KRONIK@ project) in sharing data and metadata. 

Tools and applications integrated within the project will help in acquiring new data, collecting information from external sources or from future digitisation exercises. The major effects of such activities include: 

1) sharing cultural resources online, 

2) removal of social barriers in access to resources representing high artistic and educational potential, 

3) improved access to cultural resources to the disabled, 

4) breaking the barriers of time and space in free access to digitised materials, 

5) increasing the number of downloads/views of museum resources, 

6) protection of museum cultural resources by preparing their digital imaging and metadata description, 

7) re-using these resources, and finally:

 8) dissemination of cultural resources representing high historical, educational, and artistic value. 

Project duration: August 2020 - July 2023 

Project budget: PLN 4 994 130.11 (gross); PLN 4 432 737.49 (net) 

European Funds contribution:  PLN 3 751 425.54 (net)

Project titled "Digital sharing of resources of Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź" is co-financed under Measure 2.3 Digital availability and utility of public sector information, Sub-measure 2.3.2 Digital sharing of cultural resources, Priority axis II E-government and open government of the Operational Programme Digital Poland.

Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport. The Ministry's contribution: 679 359,96 PLN