Retrodigitalisering på Det Kgl. Bibliotek – Et historisk overblik

Resumé

The article presents the first comprehensive analysis of the development of retro-digitisation at the Royal Danish Library from the 1990s to the present day. Drawing on both internal and external sources, we analyse how technologies, priorities, and practices have shaped the digitisation of the library’s physical cultural heritage collections. The analysis is structured as a matrix-framework that combines a chronological periodisation with three main themes: external factors (political, economic), internal factors (organisation, strategy, prioritisation), and technological factors (digitisation, access). This approach allows for a systematic analysis of both continuity and change in the digitisation effort. The article demonstrates how digitisation has increased access to cultural heritage, but also imposed new challenges related to technological bias, lack of transparency, and the risk of marginalising physical collections. We particularly discuss the implications of project-based funding, fragmented documentation of digitisation practices, and the growing importance of post-processing digitised materials, including derived data within a digital research and dissemination context. The article argues for greater transparency regarding choices and omissions, technical solutions, and representation if digitisation is to ensure democratic access and critical use of sources. By documenting the institutional history of digitisation, we point to how a more informed and transparent practice can shape the future management of digital cultural heritage.