Slovakiana – Database of cultural heritage
Company
National Centre of Culture and Further Education
Project Duration
12 months
Implemented System
Web portal
Area
Culture
Slovakia has a rich and colourful culture that reflects the long and varied history of each region. Contemporary culture in Slovakia is influenced by a variety of factors including Slavic tradition, religion, folklore, art, literature and architecture. Folklore and traditional crafts are an important part of Slovakia’s cultural heritage. Slovak folklore is expressed through the variety of traditional costumes, music, dance and singing. Due to the richness of Slovak culture and its beauty, BRAIN:IT approached the development of a project for the National Centre of Culture and Further Education, an organisation of the Ministry of Culture. The main goal is to strengthen cultural identity, but especially to make the cultural wealth available online to the general public, to people with disabilities, in short, to all those who have to or want to view the various collections of works from the comfort of their homes.
Our customer
Our customer is the National Centre of Culture and Further Education, an organisation of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. Its main purpose is to strengthen the cultural identity of the Slovak Republic on a global level. With the customer we dealt with a specific project called Slovakiana. Slovakiana is an online portal that provides access to digitized books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, census sheets – digitized sheets from the Slovak census of 1930,1939 and 1940 and other cultural heritage.
It is a digital library and repository of cultural heritage. Some of the objects are managed by the Slovak National Library. Users can search and browse the site. Access to the objects is controlled by different rights. Some objects in the database have only a description and are without images, which means that their digital form is not accessible. Slovakiana is a valuable resource for researchers, students and anyone interested in the culture and history of Slovakia.
The web portal was launched in 2013 and now in 2023 our company BRAIN:IT has provided the site with a new look and design, a faster system and much more. It currently contains over 5 million cultural objects, including 1 and a half million census sheets. Out of this number, about 170 thousand documents, monuments, art objects, traditional culture and so on have been digitized. The actual digitisation of cultural objects is provided by the Slovak National Gallery, the Slovak National Library, the Slovak Film Institute, the Monuments Office of the Slovak Republic, the Small Carpathian Enlightenment Centre, the State Scientific Library in Prešov and the Slovak Folk and Art Collective, the Slovak National Museum, the Slovak National Archives and the National Enlightenment Centre, which is the operator of the Slovakiana portal.
Our challenge and goals
Our company BRAIN:IT worked on creating a completely new Slovakiana.sk portal, improving the original outdated design. The design and development of the website were created in cooperation with the broader public. The entire project was initiated to support Slovak cultural heritage and promote greater inclusivity. Online access to these works also allows people with disabilities to safely and comfortably view individual pieces from home — completely free of charge.
The goal of this unique project is to make cultural heritage and art accessible to the general public.
Our solution
Based on the customer’s requirements, our team created the Slovakiana.sk portal from scratch.
The portal is divided into two parts, namely:
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Public – it is possible to browse and filter the website, save to favorites. “In the “Favorites” section you can also start the presentation of favorite objects,
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Admin – only the portal management has access to the admin section. Portal management includes creating homepage, managing dials, creating collections, articles, video gallery and educational materials.
Benefits for the client
The greatest benefit of this project is to make works, manuscripts, audiovisual recordings, photographs and overall cultural heritage accessible to the general public. People can access this cultural wealth barrier-free, from the comfort of their homes and, of course, completely free of charge on the Slovakiana web portal.
Project complexity
Size
4/6
Time
4/6
Finances
4/6
Complexity
4/6
What did our customer say about the solution?
“We are satisfied with the performance of BRAIN:IT. The team delivers items according to the planned timeline and communicates seamlessly. They also provide excellent support through various channels, including technical support, calls, emails, and consultations.”
– Head of Office, National Centre of Culture and Further Education
Are you interested in a similar solution?
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