Becoming Digital: A Dutch Heritage Perspective

Abstract

Digitization of collections in Dutch museums can be traced back to 1969. Since then, significant resources have been allocated to digital activities. Results from the digitization trajectory analysis show that museums present a similar rate of adoption (and dissemination) for computers, the Internet, and information policy documents, with a 10-year difference while digitization of collections and online publication of collections have a much slower adoption rate. An explanation is found in the national policies designed to adopt technology focusing on innovation rather than organizational change or skill development. Restricted online publication of collections represents an important efficiency loss.

Keywords:

• digital heritage
• financing
• information technology
• museums
• Netherlands
• policy