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Netizens may soon be welcomed into the virtual doors of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Established in 1969 with the mission to promote and preserve Philippine culture and heritage, the CCP is set to undertake an historic digitization of its audio-visual collections, in partnership with EMC Corporation, a leading information infrastructure solutions provider.

“Technology [has already] played a big role in enhancing the CCP’s programs, particularly in marketing. Now it will play an equally important role in the preservation and accessibility of our productions," notes CCP president, Dr. Raul Sunico.

The electronic archival project involves the digitization, migration, storage and security, management – and eventual online public access – of the CCP Library’s vast holdings. This includes approximately 40,000 hours of audio, 30,000 hours of tapes from its film archive, 6,500 photographs, 28,000 photo slides, and at least 56,000 literary manuscripts. Steps towards digitization began as early as 2007, but with a current staffing complement of ten full-time staff, it will take an estimated ten years to fully digitize and migrate the library’s existing holdings.

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Approximately 600 hours of performances are recorded at the CCP annually. The storage facility is scaleable to 32 terabytes, and can provide space for an additional three years of new material. The system hosts all digitized material in one facility, making it easier to manage and share with designated users. A content management interface, the ApplicationXtender, is already in place for internal use, with plans underway for public access via internet.

The CCP has yet to assess costs for accessing and reproducing its digitized content. “Content will be made free to a certain extent, but we are looking at the possibility of providing premium access," says Performing and Marketing Head Chris Millado. He adds that the possibility of digital downloading is also being taken into consideration.

“EMC’s collaboration with CCP is a natural fit with our core business and expertise of storing, protecting, and managing critical digital information assets. It is a challenge to help CCP create a virtual and interactive environment to make our rich cultural past available to everyone," says EMC Philippines country manager Ronnie Latizano.

Check out Philippine cultural organisations listed on culture360.org

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Source gmanews.tv: Philippine digital cultural heritage archive launched

Featured image from designkultur
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