The Right to Read is the Right To Mine: But Not When Blocked by Technical Protection Measures
“Comité des Sages” calls for a “New Renaissance” by bringing Europe’s cultural heritage online
The Comité des Sages (high-level reflection group comprised by Maurice Lévy, Elisabeth Niggemann and Jacques de Decker) presented its report on Digitisation of Europe’s cultural heritage to Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, and Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner responsible for Education and Culture on 10 January. The report urges EU Member States to step up their efforts to put online the collections held in all their libraries, archives and museums.
The recommendations of the Comité des Sages will feed into the Commission’s broader strategy, under the Digital Agenda for Europe, to help cultural institutions make the transition towards the digital age. Moreover, they will serve to the Commission’s plan of developing a sustainable funding model for Europeana by 2012 therefore, please do send this information around your network, link from your website and generally promote its importance.
Recommendations aim at promoting an environment that will help to:
– share our rich and diverse common heritage
– link the past with the present
– preserve this heritage for future generations
– protect the interests of European creators
– nurture creativity, including creative efforts by non-professionals
– contribute to education, and
– spur innovation and entrepreneurship.
You can find the press release http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/17; the full report (in English) can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/digital_libraries/doc/refgroup/final_report_cds.pdf. A summary is available in French and German.
