ࡱ> @B?7 +bjbjUU .67|7|$l  I($7 W-  &   P pDw?4 h0Ip,  eCulture: the European Perspective Cultural Policy Knowledge Industries Information lag (Zagreb/Croatia, 24-27 April 2003) eCulture: the European perspective was the title of a round table organised by CIRCLE (Cultural Information and Research Centres Liaison in Europe) and Culturelink/Institute for International Relations in April 2003. The meeting brought together 81 researchers, policy-makers and practitioners from eCulture initiatives from 19 European countries, as well as, Canada, Korea and Australia. The meeting derived from the acknowledgement that during the last ten years the concept of information society has become central practically in all analysis of social and cultural development. At the same time the emergence of a new eCulture, based on the interactive digital applications of ICT, has been taken more or less for granted. The papers both presented in the meeting and available in the conference reader (downloadable at  HYPERLINK "http://www.circle-netwoprk.org" www.circle-network.org or  HYPERLINK "http://www.culturelink.org" www.culturelink.org), analyse and point out problems, confirm or deconstruct accepted truths and provide food for policy makers and researchers with regard to information society and eCulture. It is a difficult task to synthesise the richness of the discussions deriving from the round table but as a synthesis is required it seems necessary to move away from the round table structure and instead concentrate on the main ideas that emerged. These can be summarised as: Time to spare: a better quality of life? Access and use of ICTs e-Consumers or e-Citizens? Motivations and use of ICTs Cultural content in the information society Application of ICTs in the field of culture the arts and heritage Copyright and intellectual property rights Archives and Depositories problems and solutions Creative industries development in Europe Cultural Information and communication whose responsibility is it? Cultural diversity: inclusions and exclusion Time to spare: a better quality of life? The issue of how ICTs are established in our everyday lives was discussed such as a credit card and a mobile phone. It was questioned if life was richer as a result of the ICTs. It was confirmed what was suspected that ICT technology applied in the workforce has mostly benefited the work place rather than the worker. Access and use of ICTs This subject looked at data from Canada, a highly connected nation. Despite this fact, the Canadian data explored obstacles to eCulture participation and looked specifically at questions concerning the reasons for non-use of the Internet. The four main obstacles, perceived by the public, were identified as: cost; lack of access to computers/Internet; lack of time; and lack of skills. Caution was raised that we should not forget that many countries remain unconnected and international calls for access policies for all should not wane in light of these new discussions. Even though the Internet undoubtedly represents a great advance and has enormous potential, that potential can be seen as successful only when it works for the whole world and not just the spear-tip of globalization. e-Consumers not e-Citizens: public access and use of ICTs Given that access policies may not be the key question in ICT developed countries the question remains, what happens next? Both the Canadian and Dutch presentations looked at what people are using the Internet for and helped the discussion reflect on whether it would be necessary to provide policies to stimulate eCitizenship or intelligent use of the Internet? A debate that surfaced touched on intelligent use of ICTs. A resistance was identified to use available facilities for purposes of participation in civil society or, to only use ICTs for consumption purposes i.e. buying or for information. Intelligent use of ICTs may only be possible after artistic skills, technological skills and cultural skills are advanced. It was agreed that cultural competence had some relevance on broader digital use. Cultural content in the information society If we talk about intelligent use of the Internet we also need to talk about intelligent content on the Internet. It was asked if the relationship between the new applications of the ICT and creativity changing in the new eCulture? A strong call was made and supported by all present that there is a need to support cultural development in ICTs. Multi-media applications used creatively across the Internet could not only stimulate new forms of using ICT but also change how we view and use the communication space. Application of ICTs in the field of culture the arts and heritage The subject of European policies with regard to digitalization of culture and cultural heritage was introduced, particularly the eEurope initiatives and recommendations based on DIGICult and other reports which analyse current state and possible developments in the larger European area. An excellent example of innovative research on eCulture was presented in the paper on Online art museums and virtual museum participation. Another application of ICTs in the field of culture is that of digital publishing: the challenges were demonstrated that needed to be overcome with the invent of digital publishing, not only for the publisher but for the book trade and for librarianship. Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights The session on the use and application of ICTs opened up a dramatic discussion on copyright. We learned that copyright laws were difficult to manage against the obligation to give the public access to information. The problem that libraries have of being at once, protectors of copyright and providers of free access to information was pin-pointed clearly. It was repeatedly stressed during the round table meeting that concerns about more and more sophisticated means of charging library users (or other consumers of culture) were not formulated to provide money for creators but about the overwhelming influence of large conglomerates. The two workshops presented excellent local initiatives: Multimedia Institute (mi2) and CultureNet Croatia. Archives and Depositories problems and solutions EUs lack of digitisation policies leads easily to incompatible storing systems, waste of resources and, in the lack of clear priorities, to losses of valuable heritage items. The increased speed and quantity with which cultural products are being created were discussed, brought into the market and then lost. Cultural industries tend to emphasise the need for new ideas and visions that replace and destroy the old ones. Yet this approach, which may be appropriate in the case of technologies, can lead to losses of important cultural values of content industries. Creative industries development in Europe While cultural sector is readily available for use by the industrial sector, one should be aware of revenue models and economic rationales when embarking on new projects. Some positive vistas were opened up to creativity in the new eCulture although we were also reminded of Schumpeters idea of the eternal battle between old monopolies and the forces destroying them for the purpose of establishing new monopolies. In conclusion the European Union must project a stronger and more confident image and policies to support artistic creativity were called for. Effective use of ICT to enhance cultural content is important as without the content there is no cultural industry. Cultural Information and Communication whose responsibility is it? There is a considerable financial and human effort invested in a variety of digital cultural information initiatives across Europe. However, these activities are heavily fragmented and there are many obstacles to making such initiatives successful, economic and sustainable over time. Some of the challenges include the diversity of approaches to digitisation; the risks associated with the use of inappropriate technologies and inadequate standards; the challenges posed by long term preservation and access to digital objects and the lack of synergy between cultural and new technology programmes. Cultural diversity: inclusion and exclusion Several of the papers which have already been discussed, took up the issues cultural diversity and inclusion/exclusion e.g. in the guise of equal access to the new applications of the ICT and as the problem of the digital divide. The Canadian data focused on the use of the Internet by ethno-cultural communities and recent immigrants. It indicated that the Internet offered for the members of these communities and groups sometimes the only source where they could find information from their native culture or news from their country of origin. Some positive but also negative trends were shown. Conclusion While focusing on rather different topics, many speakers mentioned in their papers the need to have truly effective strategies for further development of this field both at the level of transnational and national policies as well as to work on developing inter-sectorial approaches. It is only through synchronized interaction of all these approaches and policies that it will be possible to find efficient and sustainable solutions to some pressing problems and needs of this field. Diane Dodd and Daniela Angelina Jelin i  The speech on the creation of a Global Information Infrastructure by U.S. Vice President Al Gore at the World Telecommunication Development Conference, Buenos Aires Monday, March 21 and the European response, the Report: Europe and the global information society of July 1994 (Bangeman report) by the EC Industry and Telecommunications Commissioner Martin Bangemann are generally considered as landmarks that started the new wave of information society analyses, discussions and debates. \[/01DE  $ W m ]2:Oe 6]aJ]aJ\aJ6CJOJQJ]CJOJQJ]CJOJQJ\5CJOJQJ5\5aJjUaJ0JaJjUaJ jUaJaJj0JCJOJQJU CJOJQJCJOJQJaJ5\[ 3 J  P z  W n +$ & Fa$$a$$a$$dha$*)+]2OX [!!#$$|&&((*)+++$a$e[!!#$$&*),).)**++>*CJCJj0JCJU CJOJQJ B*aJph5aJaJ]aJ ,1h. 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