Case study 1: Challenges to Open Access

Copyright and Intellectual Property:

• Many historical documents and photographs were held in private collections or by local historical societies, requiring complex copyright clearance.

• Oral history recordings involved informed consent issues and potential restrictions on public access to sensitive personal information.

• 3D reconstructions required attribution to the software used, and the photogrammetry models could contain elements of intellectual property.

Technical Infrastructure and Sustainability:

• Hosting high-resolution images, 3D models, and interactive elements required significant server space and bandwidth.

• Ensuring long-term accessibility of digital content in rapidly evolving technological environments was a concern.

• The software used to create the 3D models might become obsolete.

Data Management and Metadata:

• Creating consistent and comprehensive metadata for diverse digital objects was time-consuming and required specialised knowledge.

• Ensuring interoperability with existing digital archives and repositories was crucial for discoverability.

Accessibility and Usability:

• Designing an accessible online exhibition for users with disabilities required careful consideration of web accessibility guidelines (WCAG).

• Translating the exhibition content into multiple languages to reach a wider audience was a desired but resource-intensive goal.

Ethical Considerations:

• The representation of the former workers, and the impact of the industry on the local environment, needed to be handled with sensitivity.

• The potential for misinterpretation or misuse of historical data was a concern.

Next section: Case study 1: Suggestions for overcoming challenges