KONCEPCJA BAZY DANYCH POLSKIEGO DZIEDZICTWA ARCHITEKTONICZNEGO W KONTEKŚCIE DOŚWIADCZEŃ EUROPEJSKICH

The article deals with the digital record of historical monuments within the context of present-day technological requirements and potential. It is also a part of a quest for solutions to the urgent need for creation of a computer system of heritage documentation at the national level. It contains a survey of issues related to the development of an information society and increasing technological progress in the information sector; it also presents reasons for the necessity of establishing historical monument digital databases. The authoress focuses on the application of latest technologies for the protection of the cultural heritage. Upon the basis of an analysis of European achievements and, in particular, the best practices in creation of digital archives as well as the recommendations of the Council of Europe, she has defined guidelines for creation of a complex digital archive and improvement of the process of cataloguing documentation, management, protection and popularisation of Polish architectural heritage. The proposed system is based on the concept of general Internet access to information about historical monuments, with precisely defined access levels. What is more, the idea is also in accordance with the European concept of the IST (Information Society Technologies) and the promotion of national heritage conceived as a key element of identity. The article describes all stages of the implementation of digital technology in the documentation of historical monuments, and such essential questions as binding standards, digitisation methods, metadata, thesaurus, multilingualism, accessibility, and the durability of digital data, as well as legal problems, e. g. copyright. These issues are essential, though due to limited length of the article they are presented briefly. Such an integrated collection of information about historical monuments, based on a 'white card', European Union guidelines and recommendations of the Council of Europe (Data Core Index on Architectural Heritage) would comprise a valuable source of knowledge for conservation offices, historians of art and architecture, investors, architects and town planners as well as for the purposes of managing cultural heritage, education, popularization and tourism. Despite the fact that the detailed study concerns the creation of a system intended for monuments of architecture, it can become useful also in a more extensively comprehended domain of cultural heritage.