The Role of Information and Communication Technologies for Enhancing Access to Cultural Content

The paper presents the more important highlights of a research on the role of information and communication technologies in expanding access to cultural content in the concrete social context in Bulgaria. The subject now is not studied in a comprehensive way. Separate documents and articles are covered various aspects of the problem. In Bulgaria, there is no comprehensive work devoted to this issue. The author does not claim full comprehensiveness of the subject concerned. Account is taken of the fact that a number of researchers, international and national institutions working on the topic of access to cultural content have been interested in it. Specific accents are made and the current state of the problem in Bulgaria is analyzed. Particular attention is given to the digitization in public cultural institutions of memory - libraries, museums, archives where long term availability of cultural content and its long-term accessibility is provided. Good practices are presented, problems that are more important are outlined, results and conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made for possible solutions to the problems. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that information and communication technologies play a key role in preserving cultural values and can foster the expansion of access to cultural content. The conclusions highlight the impact of the digitization of cultural values on the economic growth of Bulgaria by taking into account the education, tourism, research and the involvement of the local industry.