The document discusses the role of Faro, the Flemish interface for cultural heritage, in supporting cultural heritage organizations in Flanders and Brussels through various initiatives such as surveys that gather biannual data on museums, archives, and heritage libraries. It highlights the importance of tracking registration, digitization, and online access to cultural collections as part of monitoring the sector's evolution. The report emphasizes ongoing efforts to improve data quality and address challenges in qualitative aspects of heritage management, while also preparing for future cultural heritage policy development.

1. Bart De Nil
Survey and monitoring digital heritage in Flanders
11-02-2016 | Digital Past 2016 | Llandudno (Wales)

2. FARO. Flemish interface cultural heritage
FARO is the interface centre for the tangible and intangible cultural heritage
sector in Flanders and Brussels. We support cultural heritage organisations
and communities in Flanders and Brussels.
• We assist collection administrators in caring for their collections, offering
both advice and practical help.
• We enhance the expertise of professional and volunteer heritage workers.
• We stimulate discussion and collaboration, also beyond our borders.
• We develop new heritage practices.
• We research, inform and publish.
• We mediate between governing bodies and the field.
• We promote cultural heritage to a wide audience, for example by
organising the annual Heritage Day
• We contribute to a diverse, inclusive and sustainable society.
FARO is active in international networks and projects. Are you looking for partners or
colleagues in Flanders for an international collaboration or exchange? If so, don’t
hesitate to contact us. We would be delighted to help you in your search!
FARO is accredited by UNESCO, and a member of ICA, ICOM, and CERL.

3. Flemish cultural heritage sector
www.erfgoedkaart.be : the cultural heritage landscape, plus our collections,
organisations and societies.

4. Introduction and context
The Cijferboek cultureel erfgoed (literal translation: book of numbers cultural
heritage) is an initiative of the Agency for Arts and Heritage of the Flemish
government and FARO. Flemish interface for cultural heritage.
It collects biannual figures on the operation of the authorized (with
accreditation) museums, archives and heritage libraries, and the subsidized
nationwide heritage organizations and heritage bodies.
It includes among other data about the management form, staff, volunteers,
financial resources, infrastructure (depot), collection size and management,
activities, access conditions, visitor numbers and services.
With this tool we want to monitor the evolution of the cultural heritage
sector with accurate statistics. Thus, we underpin the (policy)support for
cultural heritage.

5. website cijferboekcultureelerfgoed.be

6. Function 1 website: input and management data
organisations
We collect all data via a tailor-made survey tool.
We send every two year to the authorized (with accreditation) museums,
archives and heritage libraries, and the subsidized nationwide heritage
organizations and heritage bodies a link to their data.
If they already have participated at the survey, they just have to update their
data or provide (new) information that we don’t have.
The organizations have access to an extranet with their login:
- input their own data;
- generate individual benchmarking rapports (individual results compared
with totals, averages, medians of similar organizations, in tables and
graphs);
- data is available in different formats (pdf, xls, ppt).

7. Function 2 website: rapporting
The public can consult the global rapports and rapports of the different
type’s of heritage organizations (totals, averages, medians, in tables and
graphs) and download them as pdf.
Rapports of the different type’s :
• Archives
• Heritage libraries
• Museums – classified nationwide
• Museums – classified regional
• Museums – local en not-classified
• Service organizations : centre of expertise, orgin, de partnerships CAHF en
VKC, Lukasweb, de Archiefbank, de Vlaamse Erfgoedbibliotheek and FARO
• Heritage bodies (support heritage field in a region or city)

8. Surveys and respons
Only authorized (with accredition) museums, archives and heritage libraries,
and the subsidized nationwide heritage organizations and heritage bodies can
participate at the cijferboek.
• Cijferboek 2010 (survey 2011), respons: 106 of 110 organizations (96,3%)
• Cijferboek 2012 (survey 2013), respons: 110 of 115 organizations (95,6%)
• Cijferboek 2014 (survey 2015), respons: 127 of 131 organizations (97 %)
Since 2010, the composition of the field of authorized organizations has
evolved. Some organizations lost their authorization, others were newly
authorized.

9. Respons per type of authorized (with accreditation)
organisation
Type 2014 2012 2010
archives 17 8 9
heritage liberary (research liberary
with a special collection) 7 6 1
regional heritage body 21 19 18
expertise centre 9 9 5
museum 65 60 59
organisation for folk culture 2 2 8
others 6 6 6

10. Collection registration (cijferboek 2012)
Collection registration is essential for the management of collections: 74% of the collections is in one way or another registered or
described in a collection registration system on item – or subcollection level. That’s a a prograss compared to 2010 (49%). But
there’s still a large backlog with regard to the access to this information via the internet: only 38% of the collection registration is
online.
Status registration and online access according to material type
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Schriftmaterialen t/m 18e eeuw
Boeken tot 1899
Boeken vanaf 1900
kranten tot 1899
kranten vanaf 1900
tijdschriften tot 1899
tijdschriften, vanaf 1900
Verwerkte archiefbestanden
Statisch beeldmateriaal tot 1899
Statisch beeldmateriaal vanaf 1900
Audiovisuele dragers
Kunstobjecten en artefacten tot 1899
Kunstobjecten en artefacten vanaf 1900
Natuurhistorische specimens
TOTAAL
ontsluiting
registratie
TOTAL
Natural history specimens
Art objects and artifacts from 1900
Art objects and artifacts until 1899
Audio-visual carriers
Static visual material from 1900
Static visual material until 1899
Processed archival holdings
Periodicals, from 1900
Periodicals, until 1899
Newspapers, from 1900
Newspapers, until 1899
Books from 1900
Books until 1899
Manuscripts and old prints to 18th C
online access
registration

11. Digitization (cijferboek 2012)
22% of the collections are digitized, but only 10% is online. That’s very few, that means that most of the material only can be
consulted in the institution or not at all. With documentary material (books, archives) the gap much larger than for pictures or art
objects. That is due to the much larger size of the to digitize documentary collections. Audiovisual media, there is a very large gap
between digitized material and online accessibility of it.
Status digitization and online access according to material type
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Schriftmaterialen t/m 18e eeuw
Boeken tot 1899
Boeken vanaf 1900
kranten tot 1899
kranten vanaf 1900
tijdschriften tot 1899
tijdschriften, vanaf 1900
Verwerkte archiefbestanden
Statisch beeldmateriaal tot 1899
Statisch beeldmateriaal vanaf 1900
Audiovisuele dragers
Kunstobjecten en artefacten tot 1899
Kunstobjecten en artefacten vanaf 1900
Natuurhistorische specimens
TOTAAL
ontsluiting
digitalisering
TOTAL
Natural history specimens
Art objects and artifacts from 1900
Art objects and artifacts until 1899
Audio-visual carriers
Static visual material from 1900
Static visual material until 1899
Processed archival holdings
Periodicals, from 1900
Periodicals, until 1899
Newspapers, from 1900
Newspapers, until 1899
Books from 1900
Books until 1899
Manuscripts and old prints to 18th C
accessible
digitized

12. Conclusions Cijferboek 2010 and 2012
2 survey’s: in 2011 (about 2010) and in 2013 (about 2012).
Insufficient material to draw conclusions about long-term
developments in the field.
Quality of the reported data since 2010 has improved. That
means that the data in 2012 was more complete and detailed
than were registered in 2010.
Monitoring is an continuing effort.
We consolidated our set of indicators.
We must look closer into the challenge how to monitor more the
qualitative aspects of the work done in heritage organisations
(for example: quality of digitization, etc.).

13. Cijferboek cultural heritage 2014 (survey 2015)
Basic indicators regarding to digital heritage
• Registration, digitization and online access to physical heritage
collections
New items
• Data on born-digital collections (holdings, registration and
online access).
• Management digital heritage:
• Financing, deployment of staff / volunteers
• Distribution and use
• Open data
• Digital archiving
-> mainly based on Enumerate survey.

14. Indicators ENUMERATE
Europeana ‘Thematic Network’ Observatory
Core Survey 1-3: 20 indicators, divided over 4 themes
Supply
Growth of
digital
collections
Progress
digitization
Policy yes/no
Economics
Costs of
digitisation
Yearly costs
Ratio structural –
incidentals costs
Demand
Usage of digital
material
Kinds of use
Monitoring
Sustainability
Digital
preservation
practices
Policy yes/no
Standards
http://www.enumerate.eu/fileadmin/ENUMERATE/documents/ENUMERATE_Conceptual
_Framework.pdf (p. 17)

15. 2016
Begin January 2016: closing survey Cijferboek 2014.
At this moment we’re processing and analyzing the data.
Spring 2016: delivery rapport Cijferboek 2014.
 underpins a concept note on cultural heritage that our
minister of culture shall present in late spring 2016.

16. Dank u - Diolch – Thank you
Bart De Nil – senior staff member archives, digital heritage
bart.denil@faro.be
Jeroen Walterus – coordinator Cijferboek
jeroen.walerus@faro.be
cijferboek@faronet.be
www.cijferboekcultureelerfgoed.be
www.faro.be