Arts person, occasional trombonist, sunday cyclist, gardener, techie person, dad, and amateur photographer
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The Guardian published an interesting article last week about the controller of the BBC archives, Tony Ageh’s plans to develop what he calls a Digital Public Space (DPS). This is an idea were publicly owned material would be made available for free on a non-commercial basis on the web. It’s a pretty ambitious idea and, if successful, would have major implications for the future of digital archives and cultural heritage online.
Essentially is it about creating another layer on the internet where institutions would make available their content for free, provided the use is non-commercial. Such a system would also enable this publicly owned content to be used commercially. This would allow users to access the rich archive of media which the BBC holds, as well as other collections from institutions which the BBC would work in partnership with.
If the idea of a digital public space takes off in the UK, this initiative would have a positive ripple effect in relation to Irish cultural institutions and broadcasters. It’s worth noting that Ageh was one of the people who helped make the highly successful BBC iPlayer a reality.
Clearly there is a need for a more joined up approach in respect of unlocking the digital potential of cultural resources. Sure, all this takes investment, but what’s perhaps most powerful about the DPS is that it’s built around the idea of institutions coming together to collaborate around a shared goal. This is something that information and arts professionals here should watch closely.