Visibility of documentary heritage through digitisation projects in Romanian libraries

Area of Science:

• Library and Information Science
• Digital Humanities
• Cultural Heritage Studies

Background:

• Examines the valorization and preservation of documentary heritage through digitization projects in the Romanian Library System.
• Analyzes international literature via bibliometric study and investigates Romanian libraries' online presence and services evolution.
• Considers political, economic, and technological constraints impacting digitization efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a diachronic perspective on documentary heritage digitization in Romania.
• To evaluate the involvement and evolution of Romanian libraries in national and European digitization initiatives.
• To highlight best practices and challenges in digitizing Romania's documentary cultural heritage.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis and scientometric research were employed.
• A longitudinal case study of Romanian libraries was conducted from 2007 to 2022.
• Analysis included official documents and library web addresses.

Main Results:

• Presents key initiatives for the Digital Library of Romania and library participation in projects.
• Highlights examples of good practices and political/administrative support for heritage digitization.
• Identifies numerous digitization projects but notes inconsistent outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Digitization initiatives in Romanian libraries have faced challenges and not always met expectations.
• A significant factor in the limited success of digital content development was the absence or insufficiency of sustainability.
• The study offers a unique evolutionary perspective on national heritage digitization within Romanian specialized bibliography.