This guidebook provides advice on standards and best practices to organisations involved in the development of cultural heritage Web services. The content of the guidebook is based on the advice provided by the NOF-digitise Technical Advisory Service (and others) to projects funded by the NOF-digitise programme.
NOF-digitise was a nationwide digitisation and publication programme funded by British National Lottery proceeds. Its scope and ambition was unlike anything that has been attempted before and it has broken new ground in the understanding and expectations of digitisation projects. This significant undertaking was funded through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF), now rebranded as The Big Lottery Fund, and resulted in 152 projects receiving support for a huge variety of initiatives across a very diverse range of cultural, academic and educational spheres.
During the course of the programme, a Technical Advisory Service (TAS) was provided by UKOLN and AHDS for the benefit of the participant projects and the central administrative team at the New Opportunities Fund. In its lifetime, the TAS provided a wealth of technical advice and support to the participants and stakeholders of NOF-digitise. This guidebook captures, reformats and builds on the strong output that the TAS and partners generated for this programme.
Although we hope that much of the advice provided in this handbook will be helpful to those involved in the development of digital cultural heritage resources, it should be noted that the guidebook is essentially a snapshot of the advice provided during the lifetime of the NOF-digitise programme. Before attempting to implement any of the advice provided, you should read the terms and conditions which govern the development work you are involved. in.