We need reliable data on digitisation. Where are we at the national, international and conceptual level? In this Impact Community Café, Europeana is welcoming participants for an open conversation about what we know, and don’t know, about the digitisation of Europe’s heritage collections and its impact.

Building on the symposium they held in November 2022, they continue their search for more holistic indicators of impact and digital transformation. Does ‘No data, no data space’ still hold true? Yes, but the how and what we measure sets the expectation of what should be digitised.

Should the discussion still be about how many digital objects we have? What about quality? Should we instead change the narrative to focussing on digital preservation, sustainability and ethics, rather than more – bigger – better? How can data collection efforts set the direction for more conscious digitisation?

Europeana will start the café by setting the scene with their experience of ENUMERATE, one of Europe’s foremost data collection efforts. What is the vision for more collaborative, rewarding data collection that is delivered in a way that supports the sector in its digital transformation and in the common European data space for cultural heritage? They will then move into what they expect to be a vibrant and timely discussion.