Endangered Cultural Heritage: Problems and Solutions

Author: Nerute Kligiene,  Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuania

Co-author: Rima Ciceniene, Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences

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Abstract

The original manuscripts of early music written in medieval scriptoriums, adorned with illuminations and used in monasteries and churches represents a valuable part of cultural heritage in many countries. They demonstrate a common cultural heritage of Europe and its common roots in music, which is a basic heritage of mankind in spite of differences in languages and cultural traditions. Unfortunately, these manuscripts are dispersed in a number of libraries or church archives, occasionally forgotten or still undiscovered. The access to them has to be rather restricted: original materials being fragile and perishable are hardly assessable for research and almost inaccessible for general public. Nevertheless it is a rich and unique source for scholars studying the development of manuscripts, illuminations and musical notations, musicologists and hobbyists interested in early music transposition and performance, as well as general public whose interest in early music and spirit of times mentioned is growing continuously.

The problems of digital acquisition, archiving, delivery of early European music manuscripts as multimedia objects (including professional descriptions of items, their images, audio records of corresponding music) to a general audience and ways of access to it to scholars for research purposes, and the intellectual rights management are discussed.

About the author

Nerute Kligiene (PhD in mathematics, Associate Professor) is graduated from the Vilnius University and obtained her degree at the same University (1973). She is a senior research assistant at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics. Associate Professor lecturing statistical analysis at the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and teaching e-publishing at the Communication faculty, Vilnius University. The author of more than 80 scientific papers and a textbook for students. The leader of numerous multimedia projects concerning digitization of the Lithuanian cultural heritage, actively participating in Teaching Digital Publishing for the humanities, an expert on digital publishing, involved into evaluation process of several European Multimedia Contests.