The Estonian National Museum (ENM) launched two large-scale research projects in 2024 with the aim of supporting the digital development of museums, finding new ways to use digital cultural heritage, and increasing collaboration between museums and the gaming industry.
The project “Digital Cultural Heritage as a Resource for Social Development” focuses on the use of digitized collections in Estonian museums. A significant portion of Estonia's museum collections is already digitally accessible through the Museum
Information System (MuIS), but the potential of digital heritage has not been fully exploited. The research aims to find ways to expand the use of digital cultural heritage in education, business, data-based decision-making, public science, and co-creation initiatives.
“We want to provide solutions that allow for a more diverse application of digital cultural heritage. One practical goal is to create a methodological toolkit to help museums better support individuals and communities who wish to use digital cultural heritage in creative ways,” explains the project leader, Pille Runnel.
ENM is participating as a partner in the international project “i-Game – Building a community for the co-creation of games with high impact on innovation, sustainability, social cohesion and growth.” The gaming industry is a rapidly growing sector of the global economy, which opens up new opportunities for museums and helps them reach new target audiences through attractive creative solutions. The project seeks answers to the following questions: Why do museums fail to take advantage of the potential of the gaming industry? Why do museums often fail in game design? What are the main
obstacles in creating games based on open access digital collections in memory institutions? How can we contribute to collaboration between museums and the gaming industry?
The goal of i-Game is to create a collaborative platform that connects cultural institutions, entrepreneurs, museums, game designers, and communities, and supports the creation of playful solutions for exploring cultural heritage. ENM's research team is experimenting with the use of digital collections in game creation to help design games that support the museum's educational goals in exhibitions and activities.
More information: https://igameproject.eu/ and Digital Cultural Heritage as a Resource for Social Development.
The research team includes ENM's Research Director Pille Runnel and Research Secretary Agnes Aljas.
The project “Digital Cultural Heritage as a Social Resource” is funded by the Estonian Ministry of Culture.
The project “i-Game – Building a Community for the Co-Creation of Games with High Impact on Innovation, Sustainability, Social Cohesion and Growth” is funded by Horizon Europe.
DHNB 2025 Digital Humanities Conference at ERM
With the special theme of
2025, ‘Digital Dreams and Practices’, the conference aims to explore the
synergy between visions in digital humanities and their practical applications,
seeking to maximize value for both academia and society. Reflecting current
trends, special attention will be given to the role of artificial intelligence
in the humanities, as well as the analysis of data collections and digital
materials. The conference will feature over 100 presentations, with keynote
speakers Maciej Eder, Andrea Kocsis, and Meelis Kull.
More details: https://enmconferences.ee/dhnb-2025
DHNB, which unites digital humanities scholars in the region, was founded in the Nordic countries in 2015 and expanded to the Baltic States in 2020. The annual DHNB conferences bring together researchers, students, and professionals interested in applying digital methods in the humanities, social sciences, and arts.
More details: https://dhnb.eu
The conference is organized by: Estonian National Museum, Estonian Literary Museum, University of Tartu Digital Humanities Center, Institute of the Estonian Language, Tallinn University, Estonian Digital Humanities Society
Registration Deadline: February 19, 2025
Early Bird Registration Fee Deadline: February 7, 2025
Conference Website: https://dhnb.eu/dhnb2025/
Preliminary Program: https://dhnb.eu/conferences/dhnb2025/
The conference is supported by Enterprise Estonia and Estonian Cultural Endowment.
i-Game: From Video Games to Cultural Heritage
The first year of the research project "Digital Cultural Heritage as a Social Resource" has proven that there is considerable room for development in the use of digital heritage in Estonia.
Web exhibition “Number fascination. A reflection on data and measuring”
RELEVANCE 2022
60th Annual Conference of the Estonian National Museum
On May 3rd, Relevance, the 60th Annual Conference of the Estonian National Museum, will take place. The main topic of the conference is the impact and relevance of museums.