Barely a generation into the digital era, and we’ve already made a mess of it. Digital heritage projects suffer from chronic short-termism, with outputs disappearing a few years after completion. Software and content are often lost, leading to ‘Digital Neglect’ and abandoned data silos. Content which is not preserved in institutional silos, evaporates. Project sustainability is not taken seriously by funders or teams. It’s not about poor technology or project management, but about our fundamental attitude toward digital heritage and its importance.
The resilience and continuity of Jewish heritage should be an inspiration for our approach to digital. Together with its partners, JHN is developing a training program for the next generation of Jewish heritage leaders. Our program works to broaden their perspective beyond today’s technologies, viewing technology as a means to an end. We focus on intimate understanding of the analog-digital interplay in heritage, and on the way to integrate both dimensions to ensure long-term results. We train how to innovate without being blinded by technology, ensuring continuity and community involvement, using simple but powerful language to talk to and about digital technologies.
To master today’s digital environments, we first need to understand what makes up a digital project. It can be anything: a social media account, new website, digital infrastructure, or a digitisation initiative. Every project works with heritage objects (What), is built of processes (How), involves stakeholders (Who), and happens along timeframes (When). A clear mapping of these elements and the relationships between them is essential for building projects that deliver, but also continue beyond the funding period.
Are you interested in developing or supporting a unique training program for your organisation focused on innovation with a critical outlook? Integrating a new module into an existing program?