proposal part b - The Bernstein Project
proposal part b - The Bernstein Project
proposal part b - The Bernstein Project
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CIP-ICT PSP Call 4 10<br />
Pilot B<br />
[Imperialle]<br />
SECTION B2. IMPACT<br />
B2.1a. Target outcomes and expected impact<br />
<strong>The</strong> viability, sustainability and scalability of the target outcomes after the end of the project are implicitly<br />
guaranteed by the institutions of the project <strong>part</strong>ners.<br />
<strong>The</strong> content-providing institutions are major cultural institutions funded primarily by various national states and<br />
thus, they are explicitly obligated to make their treasures and inventories available for research as well as for the<br />
pleasure and education of the general public. Digitisation of their holdings is necessary in order to make it<br />
widely accessible and to preserve it physically. A digital copy in high resolution often shows more details to the<br />
viewer than would the original object if viewed in a museum or library display. Hence in nearly all cases, digital<br />
copies, in high resolution, are a complement to the often fragile and light-sensitive originals, which must be kept<br />
and preserved in climatologically secure places. It should be stressed that paper objects such as drawings, prints,<br />
letters, scores, etc. are highly fragile. <strong>The</strong> sensitivity of these objects is well known; the only way to share these<br />
frail collections with society will be through digital images. <strong>The</strong>se can be made available online via Europeana.<br />
Public interest in and demand for access to these highly vulnerable tokens of our cultural heritage are signs<br />
pointing to the importance of delivering high-level digital and meta-data information to our communities.<br />
Imperialle is dedicated to sharing otherwise at-risk and fragile objects, which are rarely seen, with the wider<br />
community at large, as <strong>part</strong> of lifelong learning and pleasure wherever people are.<br />
In some cases, Imperialle has initiated the interest of the content providers in digitising their holdings and<br />
making them available on the internet, and in other cases, it will continue digitisation projects already in the<br />
process of being undertaken. This is a sure sign that these digitisation efforts are timely and have long been<br />
needed.<br />
All of the <strong>part</strong>ner institutions have a serious interest in maintaining the availability of their digital contents and<br />
to continue digitising additional items on their own after the initial project is completed. This shows that not<br />
only current intentions will be actualized by the project, but it is expected that the project outcome will actually<br />
entail an increased viability, sustainability and scalability.<br />
<strong>The</strong> far-reaching potential of Imperialle will be publicized through a series of exhibitions demonstrating the<br />
importance of paper and watermark research. Similar presentations were already held during the <strong>Bernstein</strong><br />
project, and they turned out to be a very successful dissemination means, attracting thousands of people.<br />
Included in the plans for these further exhibitions is a catalogue in four languages: English, German, Italian, and<br />
Spanish. <strong>The</strong> National Gallery of Denmark has even considered establishing a focal exhibit for museum visitors<br />
to present Imperialle, some of the masterpieces it contains, and information about the paper used by artists of<br />
the 16 th to 17 th centuries.<br />
<strong>The</strong> continued availability of the contents for Europeana through the <strong>Bernstein</strong> portal is also guaranteed.<br />
Although the first phase of the <strong>Bernstein</strong> project was concluded in February 2009, the Austrian Academy of<br />
Sciences is obligated by contract to keep the service running. <strong>Bernstein</strong> has continued to be updated and<br />
extended since the end of the project. <strong>The</strong> most important update has been the realisation of a connection with<br />
Europeana.