Workshops on Ethics and Sustainability in Cultural Heritage Digitization

At the invitation of: Indonesian Heritage Agency, Indonesia

Date: 12 - 13 August 2025

Location: National Museum of Indonesia Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12, Gambir, Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia

The Indonesian Heritage Agency

The Indonesian Heritage Agency (IHA), also known as the Museum and Cultural Heritage Public Service Agency (BLU MCB), is a government agency under Indonesia's Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, responsible for managing museums and cultural heritage sites across the country. Established in 2022, it works to preserve and promote Indonesia's cultural heritage through activities like conservation, digital cataloging, public education, and international collaboration. Its responsibilities include overseeing the operations of 18 museums and 34 cultural heritage site.

Impact and Findings

The workshop brought together museum professionals from across Indonesia to discuss current challenges and opportunities in digital heritage. The discussions revealed strong enthusiasm for digitization but also highlighted structural constraints, capacity gaps, and the need for long-term collaboration. The insights generated offer a clear picture of what is required to support Indonesia’s national digital heritage agenda. Human Resources & Funding Identified critical shortages in skilled staff for 3D scanning, photography, and digital asset management. Highlighted dependence on short-term projects and temporary sponsorships, underscoring the need for sustained funding models. Demonstrated the risk of digitization halting when project staff leave or when external funding ends.

Digitization Capacity & Technical Gaps

Revealed limited access to 3D scanners and the need to begin with basic digitization using cameras and lighting kits.
Exposed a shortage of trained photographers and technicians, slowing even foundational digitization work.
Emphasized the urgent need for standardized Digital Asset Management systems for long-term preservation and public access.
Raised concerns over low-resolution outputs and lack of archival-quality imaging for future research.

Storytelling, Engagement & Community Inclusion

Highlighted strong interest in VR, gesture-based displays, and interactive experiences to elevate public engagement.
Emphasized the need for storytelling workshops to develop culturally sensitive, non-political narratives.
Reinforced the importance of involving and crediting local communities in interpretation and content creation.

Preservation, Copyright & Long-Term Access

Stressed the need for dual-resolution workflows: high-quality archival files and public-facing low-resolution versions.
Identified gaps in copyright guidelines for reproduction, reuse, and online publication of digital artifacts.
Pointed to the risk of file-format obsolescence, requiring future-proofing strategies and ongoing training.

Collaboration, Networking & Capacity Building

Demonstrated clear interest in forming inter-museum digital networks to pool resources, expertise, and equipment.
Proposed partnerships with universities, students, and interns to support technical skills development.
Suggested the creation of international archival forums and ASEAN-wide collaboration platforms to avoid duplication and foster shared standards.
Highlighted the need for follow-up mechanisms to track progress after workshops and maintain momentum.

Workshop Reflections & Implementation Risks

Recognized the risk of participants returning to heavy workloads and losing momentum without structured follow-up.
Suggested a final hackathon-style session to ensure every participant produces a digital output before leaving.
Identified the need for improved SEO, metadata, and multilingual metadata management—potential new workshop topics.
Noted that the cost of in-person delivery may be unsustainable long term, requiring hybrid or strategic approaches.

Objectives

Amuzeo organized a series of professional development workshops and talks focused on advancing sustainable and ethical practices in digital heritage. The sessions explored Sustainable and Accessible Digitization, emphasizing low-cost and inclusive strategies for preserving cultural assets; Ethics in Digitization and the Use of AI, highlighting responsible data management, transparency, and cultural sensitivity; Storytelling with Digital Archives, showcasing creative approaches to transforming archival materials into engaging narratives; and Curating for the Future, which examined innovative curatorial strategies for long-term accessibility and community engagement. These programs brought together professionals from the museum, cultural and tourism institutions to exchange knowledge and develop practical frameworks that bridge technology and heritage. Through these initiatives, Amuzeo continues to foster a forward-thinking community dedicated to safeguarding cultural heritage through sustainable, accessible, and ethically informed digital practices.

Participants

18 museum representatives from various Indonesian museums under the Indonesian Heritage Agency. Museum Nasional Indonesia, Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Museum Basoeki Abdullah, Museum Batik Indonesia, Museum Kebangkitan Nasional, Museum Sumpah Pemuda, Museum Perumusan Naskah Proklamasi, Museum Kepresidenan RI Balai Kirti, Museum Benteng Vredeburg, Museum Perjuangan Yogyakarta, Museum Manusia Purba Sangiran, Museum Song Terus and Museum Semed.