This project dealt with the organization of an "Intensive course on Recording, Documentation and Information Managements of Built Heritage in Jerusalem", which involved lectures, field training and the production of manuals for the capacity building of Palestinian experts. It was financed by the Welfare Association with funds form the European Commission and implemented by the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation and the University College St. Lieven.
Good decisions in heritage conservation are based on timely, relevant and accurate information about the conditions, materials and evolution of heritage buildings and landscapes. Therefore, documenting, recording and analysis of heritage places is an essential part of their conservation and management.
The rapid rise in new digital technologies has revolutionized the practice of recording heritage places. Digital tools and media offer a myriad of new opportunities for collecting, analyzing and disseminating information about heritage sites. With new opportunities, there are also conflicts, and an intense effort to build digital media into the education of conservation professionals. Issues regarding the proper, innovative and research-focused uses of digital media in heritage conservation are an urgent topic in the global heritage conservation field, and the KU-Leuven and its partners have played a leading role in this area of cross-disciplinary research and practice. This training course offer a unique opportunity for professionals of heritage institutions in Palestine to learn new approaches, best practices, and research results in the area of heritage information.
Objectives
This course is aimed at providing an approach for the effective use of recording, interpretation, and information management systems in the conservation of built heritage. The teaching strategy involves an innovative role-playing technique, which empowers participants and instructors to:
- Develop an understanding of the role of information in conservation, addressing national and international standards;
- Review the potential limitations of recording and documentation techniques, including simple and advanced tools, and the financial constraints.
- Develop a practical approach to the use of these tools and documentation techniques in order to capture information from cultural heritage resources;
- Include the use of information systems in cultural heritage resources management;
- Design reports for presenting information to stakeholders and decision makers;
- Utilize a team approach: participants work in teams to fulfil assignments throughout the course, the final outcome of which will be an Integrated Project Dossier, a complete graphic and historical record of a chosen sector of the archaeological site;
- Use off-the-selves online tools for information sharing.
