Rationale
A) The BBIA study [National strategy and program for preservation of the literary cultural heritage in the libraries and access to it: Project. - Sofia: BBIA, 2013. - 35 p.: S., With app.] Related to the forthcoming drafting of the National Strategy and Program for preservation of the literary cultural heritage in the libraries and providing access to it, some facts and the problems faced by libraries and other cultural institutions that have taken on the difficult task of preserving and promoting cultural heritage, a priority in the cultural policy of the European Union. The main conclusions of this study are that the preservation of the originals of the literary cultural heritage in Bulgaria is seriously threatened due to the lack of conditions for preservation and the prevention, conservation and restoration do not meet the current norms, requirements and standards due to the lack of a secured budget for these activities; Compared to other EU countries, digitization in the country is very modest - only 5.54% of the entire literary heritage is digitized. There is no national register of digitized objects.
B) According to data from the archaeological commission at the National Library "St. St. Cyril and Methodius ", cited in the BBIA study on the National Strategy and Program for Preservation of Literary Heritage in nearly 100 libraries, 8,000 copies of manuscripts from the X to the 19th century, 189,000 volumes of old printed, rare and valuable books in different languages, and more than 3 million archival documents from the Middle Ages, the Ottoman rule, and the Renaissance. The current state and ways of preserving these collections are not everywhere according to the requirements and standards, and thus they are endangered by atmospheric influences. The paper, which was used in the second half of the 19th and 20th centuries, is of high acid content and for this reason the documents created during this period are perishable and threatened by destruction. For these reasons, it is necessary to adopt measures both nationally and locally for the restoration, preservation and digitization of existing rare and valuable collections, in order to preserve the originals and ensure widespread access to our national cultural heritage.
Another valuable collection that is subject to digital conversion is the local specialized archive of real cultural values. It holds valuable, scientific and technical documents that show the history of the study, the technical condition and the activities of conservation and restoration of the cultural real estates. The originals - drawings and plans are made on paper, most of them with a heliographic image and, together with other text and photo documents, are perishable and threatened with destruction.
C) Through the digitization of cultural heritage sites, open access to digitized national cultural and scientific heritage is provided through the established digital center. Sustainable policies are being launched for their continued digital preservation and conservation. The efforts of similar institutions in the preservation and digitization of the cultural heritage that they are responsible for will be combined through the modern digital digitization center. The project enables the unification of digitization processes and the creation of full-text databases. As a result of the built digital center, broad cultural and cultural accessibility is provided to the cultural institutions of the Central Northern Region of Bulgaria and the original sites in the long run are preserved for future generations.
D) The aim of the BG08 Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Arts program is to achieve wider public and institutional participation in the digitization and promotion of the material and non-material Bulgarian cultural heritage in the European context of cultural and creative industries, cultural exchange, cultural diversity, etc. .
By incorporating key cultural units, predominantly from the Central Northern Region of Bulgaria, a large scale participation in the digitization processes of the cultural heritage of a large demographic region is achieved.