Information technology and museums: More than a million exhibits from the State Hermitage Museum are digitized to its 250th anniversary

More than a million of exhibits from the State Hermitage Museum is exhibited as part of the federal program timed to the 250^th anniversary of the museum, said the chief curator of the museum Svetlana Adaksina at the round table “Time of Integration”, held April 29, 2014 in Saint-Petersburg.

The digitization process for their account goes on at the Hermitage for over 10 years, but from mid-2012 the Government of Russia has allocated additional funds and the digitization has accelerated. 

“Previously we photographed and described no more than 7000 items per year; by 2012 the database included only 83 thousand of exhibits. With the help of government funding now the database includes a million of items,  and now this is one-third of all the heritage of the Hermitage”, said Adaksina and added that by the end of 2014 it will be digitized about 200 thousand of exhibits.

The purpose of the digitization is first the protection of cultural property. In case of theft or substitution of the subject after, for example, exhibition, with accuracy photos the curators of the museum will be able to determine the authenticity of the object. Moreover, with help of special system the curators of the Hermitage can quickly view the documentation for a particular value.

The government program on digitization will be completed in December 2014, when the Hermitage will celebrate its 250^th anniversary. The leaders of the museum will continue working on the creation of the electronic database of the museum, attracting other funds or their own resources.