What do we mean when we talk about infrastructure for Digital Cultural Heritage research? How can we get a better understanding of current priorities, concerns and hopes by imagining and collectively scrutinising possibilities for the future? These two questions informed a research project at the University of Edinburgh, UK, funded by the Creative Informatics AHRC Creative Cluster programme.
The project involved surveys and workshops to explore a series of speculative scenarios. The scenarios were distilled and reimagined from a literature review and nine expert interviews undertaken in late 2023 and early 2024. You can see the list of expert interviewees, and review our reference list. The project identified several persistent issues in digital cultural heritage, including sustainability challenges due to short-term funding, difficulties in sharing knowledge across diverse disciplinary and operational contexts, and the impact of power dynamics on the inclusivity and accessibility of infrastructures. Additionally, the speculative scenarios highlighted that there is no one-size-fits- all solution to infrastructure design, emphasising the need for flexible, adaptable approaches that consider the varied needs of Gallery, Library, Archive, and Museum (GLAM) institutions and the communities they serve.
The project's final report is available now, online:
Ross, J., Sheail, P., Terras, M., & Schofield, C. (2024). Infrastructure Futures for Digital Cultural Heritage. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13710266
Scenarios
In common with the way infrastructure is defined (or not), and the different levels at which it is understood to operate (human, technological, institutional, policy and so on), these speculative scenarios may not all seem to be talking about the same thing. They are built on more-or-less explicit assumptions about what the future might look like, and what Gallery, Library, Archive and Museum (GLAM) infrastructures are for, and so the assumptions underpinning each are different. They are not intended to be correct or ideal solutions: their aim is to provoke discussion. They present possible futures for Digital Cultural Heritage infrastructure given current conversations regarding audience, resourcing, governance, and stages of technological development. So, as you read, try to imagine yourself working within these different worlds. What jumps out for you, or makes you laugh? What values are surfaced, and which ones align with your own? What do you find hopeful, disappointing, unacceptable, exciting, impossible? What alternative future for Digital Cultural Heritage would you choose to build instead?
A PDF document with all the scenarios collated: InfrastructureFuturesScenarios (PDF)
