A conceptual model to increase the visibility and usage of cultural heritage objects: The case of UNESCO’s Memory of the World list1

Abstract

Cultural heritage connects the past with the future by forming an integral part of the identities of societies. Thus, countries must protect their cultural heritage and create policies to ensure that people benefit today and pass the heritage on to future generations. Beyond physical protection in the face of globalization, increasing access to cultural heritage is necessary to ensure participation and evaluate practices from an international perspective. Advances in computer and communication technologies are being exploited for these requirements. Acquiring knowledge about and interacting with cultural objects in any part of the world today is possible through the digital humanities approach. In this study, a conceptual model was formed to increase visibility and usage of Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute Manuscripts, the Hittite cuneiform tablets from Bogazköy, the works of Ibn Sina at the Süleymaniye Manuscript Library, Evliya Çelebi’s ‘Book of Travels’, and the Old Assyrian Merchant Archives of Kültepe registered in UNESCO’s Memory of the World List. In this model, which is prepared with the digital humanities approach, best practices applied in the field are considered as examples in the literature. Suggestions are made on how to utilize digital humanities tools to increase access and visibility by revealing the economic, social, and cultural values of the works based on the model.

Environmental and ecological preservation-oriented tourism development of the intangible cultural heritage of Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou ethnic minorities

“…Validation analysis was performed using Amos software for SEM (structural equation modeling). The literature [30] shows the temporal evolution of the gastronomic heritage literature parallel to the UNESCO cultural heritage initiative. The results show that most articles link gastronomic heritage to the sustainability of tourism destinations, with European case studies focusing more on sustainability than Asian studies.…”