Description:
Erfgoedplus.be is a platform for recording and providing access to all cultural heritage in, or related to, the territories of participating entities (currently the Belgian provinces of Limburg and Vlaams-Brabant).The Erfgoedplus.be system consists of three main parts: a data repository for collecting all relevant information, the website www.erfgoedplus.be for public access, a web-based registration tool to allow managers of small, local collections to make an inventory according to current professional standards. Erfgoedplus.be does not do digitization, but offers the tools and support to allow heritage collection holders to participate in heritage digitization initiatives at all levels: local, regional, national, international. It also provides services to assist collection holders in the usage of the tools and proper standards, so that the quantity, quality and sustainability of their efforts is enhanced.   Erfgoedplus.be is a platform for the crowd sourced collection and sharing of digital data about cultural heritage of any kind with a focus on local heritage in the Belgian provinces of Limburg and Vlaams-Brabant. The project aims to train heritage managers (professional or not) in high quality documentation by developing and using state-of-the-art data collection software. The project is coordinated by the Provincial Centre for Cultural Heritage, Province of Limburg and has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund. The platform is a system of three parts: a data repository for collecting relevant information, the website www.erfgoedplus.be for public access and a web-based registration tool to allow managers of small, local collections to make an inventory of their collections according to current professional standards. The web-based tool is built to the most advanced standards in heritage documentation and ensures that the work of the local heritage organisations has equal footing in the context of international heritage documentation. However, this project is unique in that the development of the technology represents just a small part of the initiative’s activities with the system being a fundamental tool to achieve its wider aims. These goals include motivating and supporting local heritage communities to record and consolidate the knowledge they have about their heritage and to show the importance of consistency in professional standards. Erfgoedplus.be does not carry out the registration of the collections itself but relies on the dedicated work of local collection managers to do so. While those carrying out the registration are the experts on the content that they provide, Erfgoedplus.be offers the support and technical expertise to ensure that their knowledge is recorded in a skilful manner. The initiative achieves this by offering guidance, training, advice and a helpdesk.