engleski

Presentation of Croatian written heritage collections and preservation of cultural identity

The purpose of this work is to showcase the relationship between heritage and cultural identity, and in this particular instance, the role which the presentation of Croatian written heritage collection has in preserving the cultural identity of a nation. Advancements in information and communication technologies have made it possible for archives, libraries and museums to present their heritage collections outside the confines of a fixed space and allow online access to vast information resources via digital libraries, but to also host various manifestations in order to raise awareness of the importance of heritage and cultural identity. The purpose of this work is also to showcase various ways of presenting written heritage to the public. Cultural heritage is an important factor in preserving cultural identity. It can be defined as a legacy which was produced in the past, that can be used and experienced in the present and must be preserved for future generations (Krtalić, Hasenay and Aparac Jelušić 2011, 2-4). UNESCO clearly states that cultural heritage is not limited to monuments of the past, but it also includes everything which was passed on through time and includes other tangible and intangible variations of cultural heritage, one of which is written heritage (UNESCO, 2019). Written heritage can be defined as cultural heritage which has documentary value and it is special in the way that it consists of two components – recorded information and its material component (e.g. paper) (UNESCO, n.d.). Archives, libraries and museums select, collect, organize, preserve and care for written heritage collections, but also recognize their historical, cultural, social and other values (Krtalić, Hasenay and Aparac Jelušić 2011, 29-30). The aforementioned memory institutions are communicating these values through various forms of presenting their collections and in doing so are enabling the preservation of cultural identity and communicating the importance of it. Information professionals are the ones with the knowledge which allows them to organize meaningful events, manifestations, exhibitions and projects that will not trivialise written heritage and be a part of sustaining and building up the cultural identity. (Šola, 2014, 117-125). The main goal of analysing the activities of written heritage collection presentation are to determine types of projects, events and manifestations used in Croatian memory institutions. The purpose of it is to gain insight into the presentation of written heritage in the past 10 years (2010-2020). The research questions are as follows: What are the most common ways of written heritage presentation? Which memory institution has the most written heritage presentation activities? The sample will consist of web sites of Croatian archives, libraries and museums. Content analysis will be used in researching the web sites and written heritage collection presentation activities will be categorized in following categories: digital collection, lecture, exhibition, manifestations (such as Noć knjige, Noć Muzeja, Mjesec knjige…), other. The types of presented written heritage will be considered in the following categories: books, newspaper, ephemera, other. Criteria may be added during the research and depending on the information available. Possible limitations include access to older events and manifestations which may not be available on web sites. The results will be compared in respect to the type of activity, type of written heritage presented and institution which organized it. Written heritage has an important role in preserving cultural identity and presenting it to the public can result in raising the awareness of its importance and promoting its values. Analysing these activities in Croatian memory institutions will produce the typology of those activities as well as the most common written heritage collection which is represented. The results should show consistent organization of presentation activities and their role in promoting cultural identity through types of written heritage presented (e.g. everyday life in the newspaper ; significant literary works ; documents etc.).

written heritage ; Croatia ; cultural identity ; heritage presentation

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