Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage: A Critical Discourse

Citation

Rodrigues, T. (2008), "Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage: A Critical Discourse", Online Information Review, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 694-695. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520810914098

Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage is a collection of theoretical essays by various contributors that examine the uses of digital media by cultural heritage institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries and galleries. It starts with a detailed introduction which outlines and summarises the contents of the book. The introduction also explains the scope and purpose of the essays.

The book is divided into three parts. The series of chapters in the first part is entitled “Replicants/object morphologies”. These chapters offer discussions of the meaning for digital objects, art works and media within cultural institutions, and the implications of the use of digital media in the production of art works and in the acquisition, representation and conservation of collections. For example, in Chapter 2 Andrea Witcomb discusses the impact of digital media technologies in museum exhibitions, while in Chapter 5 Beryl Graham investigates current working categories for classifying digital art in physical installations and looks at how these definitions are affecting how art is shown.

In the second part of the book, Knowledge Systems and Management: Shifting Paradigms and Models, consisting of eight chapters, the authors discuss the coming together of knowledge, learning, information management, digital technologies and user research in the cultural heritage sector. These include a look at the role of digital media in museums and how they modify the relationship between museums and their audiences in terms of knowledge in Chapter 7, and the topic of collections documentation and emerging digital technologies in Chapter 10. Themes also examined in this part of the book are the importance of cultural information standards to facilitate accessing cultural heritage (Chapter 11), and the chapter by McCarthy which explores the use of contextual information frameworks as a means by which knowledge can be passed from generation to generation.

In the third part of the book, entitled Cultural Heritage and Virtual Systems, the authors evaluate what it means to develop both scientific objects and interpretive products for cultural heritage using the modalities offered by virtual reality. These authors are concerned with the issues of registration and capture technologies, storage, longevity, transparency and the metadata of the models they create. For example, in Chapters 16 and 17 the authors explain how virtual spaces can be articulated as modalities for virtual heritage. In Chapter 18 Milekic focuses on the fact that currently the emphasis in virtual environments is placed on the quantity of information rather than its quality. Finally, in Chapter 22 Barcelo presents a possible theory for the use of artificial intelligence in virtual heritage.

The book has a comprehensive list of references, including internet sites, which are recommended for a more in‐depth understanding of digital cultural heritage. It is also well structured with a pleasant layout; however, certain chapters do present theories and technical information that may be difficult for readers just beginning to understand the uses of digital media by cultural heritage institutions.

Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage is intended for a variety of readers, including museum and art curators, archivists, librarians, information managers and other professionals, academics and students involved in or affected by the growing presence of digital media in cultural heritage institutions.