Technology, Preservation, and Resilience in an Era of Change: Editor’s Note

2.1 Redefining Archival Practice Through Ontological Frameworks

The issue opens with Arian Rajh’s (Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia) examination of the Records in Contexts (RiC) standard presents a reconceptualization of archival science for the digital age. As Rajh argues in the article “Newly Discovered Archival Logic: Functions Emerging from the Records in Contexts Standard,” the contemporary infosphere has moved beyond document-centric information organization, necessitating new approaches that can handle diverse data formats. The RiC standard, incorporating Description Logics (DL), introduces two functions: refined terminology management and automated reasoning capabilities that can generate new information about archival materials without archivist anticipation. This shift represents more than technical modernization – it challenges the Schellenbergian tradition of archivists attempting to predict user needs. Instead, RiC’s ontological framework enables dynamic, machine-processable descriptions that can establish new connections among entities and create previously unforeseen informational relationships. Rajh’s practical demonstrations show how this approach liberates archivists from traditional constraints while demanding more sophisticated conceptual frameworks rooted in simple, systematically defined classes and properties.

2.2 Expanding Access Through Digital Audio Platforms

Tallie Casucci, Rachel Jane Wittmann (both J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, USA), and Kyle D. Trettin’s (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) study “Traversing Rock Climbers’ Oral Histories to Podcast Platforms: Processes, Analytics, and Digital Library Impact” of the Ascent Archive podcast represents a systematic analysis of how podcasting can enhance access to oral history collections. Their research demonstrates that unedited oral history interviews can successfully reach global audiences – over 1,350 downloads across 640 unique listeners – while increasing usage of corresponding digital library items.

The study’s findings reveal both promise and limitations. While podcast episodes increase engagement with specific corresponding digital materials, they do not significantly boost usage of entire collections. This suggests that podcast strategies must be carefully designed with clear linking mechanisms and sustained marketing efforts. Importantly, the project’s commitment to publishing complete, unedited interviews addresses concerns about “sonic whiteness” in podcasting while ensuring authentic representation of diverse voices.

2.3 Machine Learning Applications in Cultural Pattern Recognition

“VGG-Based Feature Extraction for Classifying Traditional Batik Motifs Using Machine Learning Models” by Suyahman (Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia) and Ayun Hapsari (Universitas Terbuka, Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia) is about Indonesian batik-motif automated classification and exemplifies how machine learning can support cultural heritage preservation through automated pattern recognition. Their hybrid approach, combining VGG16 deep feature extraction with XGBoost classification, achieved 89.83 % accuracy in identifying traditional batik textile art form motifs – significantly outperforming standalone methods.

This work addresses a critical need for scalable classification systems as digitization efforts expand globally. Manual classification of complex cultural artifacts remains labor-intensive and subjective, while machine learning approaches can process vast datasets with consistent criteria. However, the authors acknowledge important limitations: their dataset covers only four Batik Keraton motif classes, potentially introducing bias and limiting generalizability. Future research must expand datasets to encompass broader regional variations while addressing questions of cultural representation and algorithmic fairness in heritage applications.

2.4 Artificial Intelligence in Audiovisual Production

The fourth article of this issue, “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Production and Editing of Audiovisual Content” by Iryna Gavran (Department of Actor’s Skill, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Kyiv, Ukraine), Serhii Honcharuk, Volodymyr Mykhalov, Kateryna Stepanenko, and Nataliia Tsimokh (all Department of Television Journalism, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Kyiv, Ukraine), provides a comprehensive analysis of AI’s transformative impact on audiovisual content creation and editing. Their review demonstrates how generative adversarial networks (GANs) and deep learning algorithms have revolutionized production workflows, dramatically reducing time and costs while enabling previously impossible creative possibilities. The study highlights significant benefits: automated editing processes, enhanced restoration of historical audiovisual materials, improved sound and image quality, and personalized content adaptation. However, the authors identify crucial risks including content standardization, deepfake-enabled disinformation, copyright violations, and inadequate regulatory oversight. Their analysis reveals a technology sector advancing faster than ethical frameworks, demanding urgent attention to transparency, privacy protection, and regulatory development.

2.5 Social Media as Cultural Preservation Platform

Richita Sulagna Pradhan and Arpita Goswami’s (both School of Liberal Studies, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India) article “Navigation of Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age: The Role of Social Media Platforms in the Preservation of Selected Folk Performances of Odisha” presents a study of Odisha folk performances on social media platforms. This study reveals both the potential and limitations of grassroots digital preservation efforts. The analysis of seven traditional performance forms across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram demonstrates how digital platforms can sustain cultural visibility, though with significant variations in success.

The research shows that well-established forms like Odissi and Pala maintain strong social media presence, while less practiced traditions such as Gotipua, Chaiti Ghoda, Ranapa, Dasakathia, and Kandhei Nacha struggle with limited visibility due to declining physical performance frequencies. YouTube emerges as the most effective platform for documentation and promotion, while Facebook and Instagram remain underutilized despite their engagement potential. The study emphasizes that successful digital cultural preservation requires systematic, strategic approaches rather than ad hoc posting, with recommendations for maximizing platform-specific features to enhance visibility and engagement.

3.1 Emergency Response to Cultural Heritage Destruction

Gudrun Tatjana Wirtz’s (East European Department, Bavarian State Library, Munich, Germany) review of the Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) initiative documents an unprecedented grassroots response to wartime cultural destruction. Launched within days of Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, SUCHO mobilized over 1,500 volunteers across 38 countries to archive Ukrainian digital cultural materials threatened by military action. The initiative’s rapid scaling – from initial tweet to international collaborative infrastructure within weeks – demonstrates how digital preservation communities can respond to crisis situations without bureaucratic delays. SUCHO’s model has already influenced similar efforts, including Hong Kong preservation initiatives and renewed data rescue activities in response to U.S. government data deletion policies. The review highlights how digital heritage faces threats not only from warfare but also from authoritarianism, making distributed, international preservation networks increasingly vital.

3.2 Confronting Systemic Crisis: A Global Perspective on Cultural Heritage Sector Threats

The “PDT&C Editorial Board Position Paper on the Emerging Crisis in the Cultural Heritage and Preservation Sectors” presents alarming evidence of systematic disinvestment in cultural heritage sectors worldwide. Based on responses from board members across the United States, Europe, and Australia, the document reveals a pattern of budget cuts, staff reductions, project cancellations, and threats to scholarly freedom that transcends national boundaries. The crisis extends beyond mere financial constraints to encompass fundamental threats to scholarly publishing infrastructure, international collaboration, and democratic access to information. Board members report a “climate of fear” affecting cultural professionals, with institutional pressures discouraging advocacy for adequate funding. The position paper identifies immediate impacts including suspended research projects, loss of institutional memory through layoffs, and reduced public services, while warning of long-term risks to scholarly publishing systems and cultural preservation expertise.

The position paper’s call for international solidarity recognizes that cultural heritage preservation represents essential democratic infrastructure rather than discretionary spending. The coordinated nature of these threats – occurring simultaneously across multiple continents – suggests systematic rather than coincidental patterns, demanding equally coordinated responses from professional organizations worldwide.

The contributions in this volume collectively illustrate a cultural heritage sector simultaneously experiencing technological renaissance and existential crisis. While AI, machine learning, and digital platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for preservation, access, and analysis, systematic budget cuts and political pressures threaten the institutional foundations necessary to realize these possibilities. The tension between innovation and crisis demands that we embrace both technological advancement and collective advocacy. As demonstrated by SUCHO’s rapid mobilization, our field possesses both technical capabilities and collaborative capacity to navigate this challenging period. However, success will require sustained commitment to professional solidarity, adequate resource advocacy, and recognition that cultural heritage preservation constitutes essential infrastructure for democratic societies and culture-rich ecosystems. The future of our field depends not merely on our technical innovations but on our collective determination to defend the institutions and systems that preserve human heritage and knowledge for the next generations.