Digitization of Cultural Heritage: Global Initiatives, Opportunities and Challenges

The potential of digital technologies in safeguarding and preserving valuable assets have been established over time, predominantly in preserving our increasingly threatened heritage. Technological advancements in digitization and preservation aspects in the form of more sophisticated digitization gadgets have resulted in the practical implications of many digital preservation initiatives. The article discusses the concept of cultural heritage and need of digital preservation for managing and distributing cultural heritage collections through cooperative endeavors. It highlights the importance of incorporating technological advancements for managing effective and long-term cultural preservation projects. It points out various challenges concerning digital preservation initiatives for cultural heritage including financial, technical, policy guidelines, legal aspects and metadata concerns. The article further discusses some important digital preservation projects for managing Cultural Heritage and lists detailed features under each initiative for addressing various challenges.