Open Heritage Coalition’s cover photo
Open Heritage Coalition

Open Heritage Coalition

Technology, Information and Internet

Previously known as the TAROCH Coalition (Toward a Recommendation on Open Cultural Heritage)

About us

Launched in 2024 by Creative Commons (CC), the Towards a Recommendation on Open Cultural Heritage (TAROCH) Coalition unites institutions and organizations worldwide who share a belief in the transformative potential of open solutions. The world’s cultural heritage holds the power to connect people across time and space, fostering mutual understanding, creativity, and sustainable development. Yet, many Cultural Heritage Institutions (CHIs) like museums, archives, and galleries face immense struggles to digitize their collections, preserve fragile artifacts, and make them available to the public. These challenges often result in critical pieces of our shared history remaining out of reach for the communities they represent and for global audiences eager to engage with them. To address systemic barriers and promote equitable access to cultural heritage, the TAROCH Coalition aims to collaborate with UNESCO and its Member States to explore the development of a Recommendation—or another standard-setting instrument— that advances open access to out-of-copyright cultural heritage. This vision aligns with UNESCO’s mission to foster the free flow of information and preservation of heritage, contributing to addressing global challenges. Stay informed, and join the conversation. Follow Creative Commons and this page. Get involved. Join the TAROCH Coalition and/or advocate for open, equitable policies in your region.

Website
https://creativecommons.org/about/arts-culture/advocacy/
Industry
Technology, Information and Internet
Company size
11-50 employees
Specialties
Open Culture, GLAM, Open Access, Creative Commons Licenses, Advocacy, and Cultural Heritage

Updates

  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    💓 NEW PUBLICATION 💓 🎉 Our article "Ensuring Equitable Access to Heritage: The Need for an International Standard under the Auspices of UNESCO" is now published in the International Journal of Documentary Heritage! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/exDj_kpU 🙏Thanks to my co-author Dee Harris and editor Jan Bos and the whole editorial team! 📖 Here's a sneak preview of the opening paragraph: "Illuminated initials can be of stunning, intricate beauty. However, beyond the ornamental, these embellished letters found in safely preserved medieval manuscripts served very practical purposes, from helping readers navigate often complex writing systems to providing exempla (images used to illustrate a moral point)... While nowadays we generally no longer rely on aesthetically striking letters to read books, social media posts, or emails, these decorated capital letters still have a place in our contemporary culture. Moreover, if we want to ensure future generations will also be able to admire, study, and understand these letters, then the manuscripts that hold them, as well as our shared documentary heritage, must be preserved and made accessible, including in digital form..." 🏛️ Key takeaways: Did you know that less than 1% of the world’s institutions share heritage in open access? With many elements of documentary heritage remaining behind paywalls and digital locks, people are denied a meaningful connection with their heritage. In this article we provide an overview of the main barriers to equitable access to public domain heritage in the digital environment, make the case for openness as a key principle in the preservation and dissemination of documentary heritage, and share examples of positive reuse enabled by open heritage. 🤓 Details: Volume 2, Number 1, Article 9, December 2025. International Journal of Documentary Heritage 2025;2(1):9. https://lnkd.in/eVwYMjZP Received on August 14, 2025, Revised on November 18, 2025, Accepted on November 20, 2025, Published on December 30, 2025. Copyright © 2025 Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://lnkd.in/eCVK76gc). 📷 = https://lnkd.in/eeuvhx4m #OpenHeritageStatement Open Heritage Coalition

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    🖌️ Welche Barrieren versperren den freien Zugang zum Kulturerbe? Und was kann das Open Heritage Statement daran ändern? Wer mit Kulturerbe arbeiten, es erforschen oder kreativ nutzen möchte, begegnet unterschiedlichen Hürden – technischen, rechtlichen und finanziellen. 🤔  Was können wir tun, um das zu ändern?  Eine UNESCO-Empfehlung ist ein vielversprechender Weg, um etwas zu bewegen. Das von Creative Commons initiierte Open Heritage Statement stellt die Weichen dafür. Es zeigt Zugangsbarrieren auf, benennt die Potentiale des offenen Kulturerbes und vereint Unterstützer*innen. Gemeinsam wollen wir die UNESCO davon überzeugen, konkrete Empfehlungen auszusprechen, wie die Mitgliedstaaten Kulturerbe zugänglich machen können. Das Open Heritage Statement hat derzeit über 70 Unterschriften von Organisationen und Initiativen. Darunter sind das Das Bundesarchiv, die Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesbibliothek, Think Tank iRights.Lab und die Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt. Wikimedia Deutschland gehört zu den Erstunterzeichnenden. Ihr wollt mehr darüber erfahren, welche Barrieren für freien Zugang zu Kulturerbe es gibt und wie ihr bei der Initiative dabei sein könnte? 👉 Link im ersten Kommentar

  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    View organization page for Creative Commons

    30,862 followers

    On March 2, CC and Internet Archive Europe, together with the support of Open Nederland, hosted an event entitled “Ensuring equitable access to heritage in the digital environment: A leading role for the Netherlands on the global stage.” With open heritage gaining momentum as a way to help address global challenges, the event was an opportunity to elevate Dutch good practices to the international level. In our newest blog post, we offer a recap of the dynamic discussions from the event and share the importance and impact for CC. https://buff.ly/hswr6YE

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    🌷This week, together with Open Nederland and Internet Archive Europe, we organized an #OpenHeritageStatement event in Amsterdam 🇳🇱 🍊 Entitled « Ensuring equitable access to heritage in the digital environment: A leading role for the Netherlands on the global stage » the event brought together key actors from the Dutch heritage sector to celebrate the Netherlands’ pioneering efforts in opening up access to heritage collections. 🎈 With open heritage gaining momentum as a way to help address global challenges, thanks to the Open Heritage Coalition, the event was an opportunity to elevate Dutch good practices to the international level. ☀️It was a great opportunity to hear from experts and chat with some of the key players in the open movement working to ensure equitable access to heritage in the digital environment. 🎙️Many thanks to all the attendees for your active participation and brilliant questions and comments. 🙏 A heartfelt thank also goes the speakers for sharing your experiences and ideas for the future of open heritage Amanda Van Rij Edwin Van Huis Marike van Roon Saskia Scheltjens Claire McGuire Doug McCarthy Jan Bos Beatrice Murch Maarten Zeinstra Beverley Francis 📖For details about who said what, head to the Creative Commons blog 👉 https://lnkd.in/epjuu_bQ

    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    Did you know that less than 1% of the world’s institutions share heritage in open access? With many elements of documentary heritage remaining behind paywalls and digital locks, people are denied a meaningful connection with their heritage. In this article in the International Journal of Documentary Heritage, our Open Culture team provides an overview of the main barriers to equitable access to public domain heritage in the digital environment, makes the case for openness as a key principle in the preservation and dissemination of documentary heritage, and shares examples of positive reuse enabled by open heritage.

  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    📚💻Das Bundesarchiv unterstützt das Open Heritage Statement für offenes Kulturerbe  – so könnt ihr auch dabei sein! Dass mit dem Bundesarchiv eine zentrale deutsche Kultur- und Gedächtnisinstitution das Open Heritage Statement unterstützt, sind tolle Nachrichten. Gemeinsam wollen wir die UNESCO davon überzeugen, an die Mitgliedstaaten eine Empfehlung zum offenen Kulturerbe auszusprechen – und wünschen uns dafür viele weitere Unterstützer*innen. Über 70 Institutionen weltweit tragen die Initiative bereits mit. 🤝 Warum ihr dabei sein solltet? Es gibt immer noch zahlreiche technische, rechtliche und finanzielle Barrieren für offenes Kulturerbe. Welche das sind und wie eine UNESCO Empfehlung dazu beitragen kann, sie abzubauen, erklärt Dr. Lukas Fuchsgruber, Manager digitales Kulturgut, bei Wikimedia Deutschland. 📅 03. März 2026 📍 16-17 Uhr, Online 👉 Zur Anmeldung geht es im ersten Kommentar Ihr wollt die Initiative unterstützen und als Unterzeichnende dabei sein? 👉 Link zum Statement im Kommentar

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    Haftaya, 17 Şubat Salı günü Milli Kütüphane'de yapılacak Kamu Malı Kültürel Mirasa Açık Erişim Toplantısı'na konu ilgili herkesi bekliyoruz. Toplantıda kamu malı kültürel mirasa açık erişim neden önemli, Open Heritage Coalition tarafından yayınlanan #AçıkMirasBildirisi bu konuda nasıl bir çerçeve sunuyor, UNESCO'nun #açıkbilim, #açıkeğitim alanlarındaki tavsiye kararlarına benzer bir enstrümanın ilk adımı olabilir mi, Türkiye bağlamında nasıl değerlendirmeli, ilgili alanlardaki politika ve uygulamalara nasıl bir katkısı olabilir gibi sorulara yanıtlar arayacağız. Dijital Kültürel Miras Ağı ile birlikte düzenlediğimiz etkinliğin detaylarını Creative Commons Türkiye websitesinde bulabilir, katılmak için kaydınızı yaptırabilirsiniz. #OpenHeritageStatement Creative Commons https://lnkd.in/eHXq3Ekt

    View organization page for Creative Commons Türkiye

    105 followers

    Kamu Malı Kültürel Mirasa Açık Erişim Toplantısı’na davetlisiniz! Creative Commons Türkiye ve Dijital Kültürel Miras Ağı iş birliğinde düzenlenen bu toplantıda, Açık Miras Koalisyonu tarafından geliştirilen #AçıkMiras Bildirisi temel alınarak, #kamumalı niteliğindeki #kültürelmiras eserlerine açık ve adil erişim konusu Türkiye bağlamında ele alınacaktır. #OpenHeritageStatement Milli Kütüphane ev sahipliğinde Ankara’da gerçekleştirilecek toplantıya sizleri de bekliyoruz. 📅 Tarih: 17 Şubat 2026, Salı 🕐 Saat: 13:00–17:00 👉 Kayıt olmayı unutmayın: https://lnkd.in/eByarG6C

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    🏛️This week I was at UNESCO with Creative Commons colleagues Dee Harris and Beverley Francis to attend a meeting of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, an international treaty that supports the creation, production, distribution and access to diverse cultural goods and services. 🛜 What's at stake? Making sure that cultural diversity is protected in the digital environment and in the context of Al. 🎈We're also here to raise awareness about the #OpenHeritageStatement, a global call to action to ensure equitable access to heritage in the digital environment. 🌍 The result of global collective action by the Open Heritage Coalition, the Statement calls on stakeholders to enter a policy dialogue to remove unfair, unnecessary barriers around public domain heritage to enable everyone to enjoy their fundamental right to participate in cultural life, recognize culture as global public good, and address the world's biggest challenges. ✍️ Learn more and add your voice by endorsing the Statement: openheritagestatement.org

    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Open Heritage Coalition reposted this

    🖼️ 📖 Was ist das Open Heritage Statement? Und warum sollten sich Kulturinstitutionen dieser Initiative für freien Zugang zum Kulturerbe anschließen? Darüber spricht Dr. Lukas Fuchsgruber, Manager für digitales Kulturerbe bei Wikimedia Deutschland am 03. März 2026 von 16-17 Uhr, Online 🗨️ Darum geht es bei der Veranstaltung  Wir laden GLAM-Institutionen und -Organisationen im deutschsprachigen Raum ein, sich über die Initiative zu informieren. Dafür stellen wir den Inhalt des Open Heritage Statements anhand konkreter Beispiele vor und möchten offene Fragen diskutieren. Weniger als 1% der Kulturerbe-Institutionen weltweit haben eine Open Access Policy für digitalisiertes Kulturerbe implementiert. Das heißt: Wer mit Kulturerbe arbeiten, es erforschen oder kreativ nutzen möchte, begegnet zahlreichen technischen und rechtlichen Hürden – oft auch wenn es um Werke geht, die schon gemeinfrei sind. 🤔  Was können wir gemeinsam tun, um das zu ändern?  Eine UNESCO-Empfehlung ist ein vielversprechender Weg, um etwas zu bewegen. Das von Creative Commons initiierte Open Heritage Statement stellt die Weichen dafür. Es zeigt Zugangsbarrieren auf und benennt die Potenziale des offenen Kulturerbes. Das Open Heritage Statement hat derzeit über 70 Unterschriften von Organisationen und Initiativen. Wikimedia Deutschland gehört zu den Erstunterzeichnenden. 👉 Zur Anmeldung für die Info-Veranstaltung geht es im ersten Kommentar. #OpenHeritage #GLAM #OpenData #OffeneKulturdaten

    • No alternative text description for this image

Affiliated pages

Similar pages