Palestinian Museum's digital archive project to preserve heritage
A three-year project by the Palestinian Museum will enable Palestinians to find and archive key historical documents.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Museum has started a $2 million project that will create a digital archive of historical documents, photos and films that reflect the history of Palestine. The three-year project will collect records of daily life such as personal photos and official documents from both Palestinian individuals and institutions.
The museum, located in the town of Birzeit in the central West Bank, aims to search, research, digitalize and publish 145,000 items over a period of three years, according to an announcement made by the museum on Feb. 18. The funding for the project comes from the Arcadia Fund, a London-based fund founded by Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin in 2001. It supports charities and scholarly institutions that preserve cultural heritage and provide open access.
Zina Jardaneh, the chair of the board of the Palestinian Museum, told Al-Monitor over the phone, “The archive will be one of the most important components of the museum's digital platform, as it will document, digitize and publish 145,000 endangered archival items in both Arabic and English.”
She said that the project enhances the museum's mission as a transnational cultural institution connecting Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause with Palestine's history and civilization.
