CATALOGUING CULTURAL ASSETS IN ITALY: METHODS, TOOLS AND COOPERATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO MANAGE KNOWLEDGE

Resumen

 MIBACT’s (Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism) ICCD (Central Institute for Cataloguing and Documentation) is the in stitutional reference in terms of defining, developing methodologies and planning activities related to cataloguing Italy’s cultural heritage. To that end, it coordinates research relating to the definition of cataloguing standards for the different kinds of cultural assets under the MiBACT’s protection. It also coordinates the general national catalog of archeological, architectural, historic, artistic, ethnic and anthropologic heritage. Since its inception (1975) to this day, ICCD has consistently focused its operational policies on the “dialog” with other actors involved in the cultural assets segment to identify rules and work categories to share knowledge related to heritage, such as cataloguing standards and data exchange protocols. The creation of the new SIGECweb (Web-based General Cataloguing Information System) gave the Institute new resources and technologies to manage the entire process of producing cataloguing data, from assigning unambiguous codes to file cards publishing for free use, in order to assure consistency and the sharing of generated information. The procedures for the interoperability with external systems were defined, and ICCD was part of the development of the Vincoli in Rete (VIR) collaboration platform. This platform enables the interoperability between the three major MIBACT’s databases, it is also the main access to the shared data registry of assets related to immovable cultural heritage.