Museum of Ethnography
H-1146, Budapest, Dózsa György út 35.
Phone: +36 1 474 2100
Email: info@neprajz.hu
In the spirit of the Year of National Cohesion, the Museum of Ethnography has committed itself to formulating a unique key task within the framework of the nationwide competency task called "Digital Development of Ethnographic Content" that it oversees. This initiative is titled "Heritage Protection Pilot Project in Szekler Region Museums".
This unprecedented and unique program has undertaken a dual objective. The Museum of Ethnography, as a strategic institution and the responsible entity for the nationwide competency task "Digital Development of Ethnographic Content," feels it is its duty and mission to assist current cross-border sector institutions. Upon the successful completion of the program, these institutions will also possess a modern, digitalized registry with publication capabilities.
The professional experiences of the past decade have proven that this can only be achieved through long, persistent work spanning years. The first step in this process is to start the digital imaging of collections. High-quality and high-resolution images provide a stable foundation upon which the presentation and publication of individual object groups or collections can be built later.
The following collaborative partners are currently participating in the program's implementation:
To ensure that the collaborating institutions have a modern, digitalized registry with publication capabilities, the experts from the Museum of Ethnography have developed a complex, five-pillar task system. One phase of this system is digitalization.
The available tools at the Museum of Ethnography enable the execution of professionally satisfying work across multiple institutions simultaneously. As part of the program, the staff of the Registry and Digitalization Department travel to each partner institution to perform the activities. After setting up the photo studios, they provide practical training to Transylvanian colleagues, who practice together for days with the borrowed photography equipment.
Mureș County Museum, Târgu Mureș
With the help of the PhaseOne flatbed digitalization equipment, more than 25,000 archival materials were processed in the past year. The Museum of Ethnography also undertook the archiving and backup of the resulting digital content, which significantly aids the institutions involved. According to plans, the studio set up here was dismantled in the first half of 2024, then packed securely and transferred to Gheorgheni.
Haáz Rezső Museum, Odorheiu Secuiesc
After the archiving and backup tasks, the studio here was also dismantled and packed in the first half of 2024, then relocated to Sfântu Gheorghe.
Tarisznyás Márton Museum, Gheorgheni
The preparatory phase for receiving the studio began in the first half of 2024. The groups of objects and collection units to be digitized were identified. According to the planned schedule, the equipment from Târgu Mureș arrived here and was assembled.
Székely National Museum, Sfântu Gheorghe
Similarly, preparatory work was carried out in the first half of the year.
On-site training and several days of practical training were conducted in the first week of July at both of these last two locations, thus handing over both sets of equipment.
Colleagues Participating in the Heritage Protection Program:
Edit Garai, museum photographer
Krisztina Sarnyai, museum photographer
Marcell Szász, museum photographer
Project leader: Zsolt Odler, head of department