Coordination office for the preservation of written cultural assets
| Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Assets (KEK) |
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| founding | August 1, 2011 |
| Seat | Berlin State Library - Prussian Cultural Heritage |
| main emphasis | Promotion of the preservation of the original, safeguarding of the written cultural heritage in libraries, archives, museums and other institutions |
| Action space | Germany |
| Website | www.kek-spk.de |
The coordination office for the preservation of written cultural assets , abbreviated KEK , was established at the Berlin State Library - Prussian Cultural Heritage in 2011 and has since been dedicated to preserving the original of written cultural assets in archives and libraries. Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) and the Kulturstiftung der Länder (KSL), the KEK acts as an interface between experts, institutions and politics and is the central point of contact at federal, state and municipal levels in this area. Funding for conservation projects has played a central role since it was founded . Through the KEK model project funding and, since 2017, also through the BKM special program, various measures to preserve the written originals are supported nationwide every year.
Emergence
The establishment of a “Coordination Center for the Preservation of Written Cultural Assets” was inspired by the Alliance for the Preservation of Written Cultural Assets , founded in 2001 , an interest group of archives and libraries in Germany with extensive historical holdings. The alliance drew up several declarations and memoranda to draw the public's attention and those responsible in politics to the importance of preserving written cultural assets. The alliance's demand and goal was to develop an overall strategy for sustainable conservation at the national level .
A particular decisive factor in setting up the Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Assets (KEK) was the memorandum for the preservation of the future drawn up by Allianz , which was presented to the then Federal President Horst Köhler in 2009 . In addition to pragmatic recommendations for action to safeguard the historical holdings in archives and libraries, this publication contained the proposal to set up a corresponding work and coordination office.
After the federal elections in autumn 2009, the project was finally anchored in the coalition agreement of the federal government and, after further negotiations, the federal and state governments jointly established the coordination office for the preservation of written cultural assets (KEK) at the foundation on August 1, 2011 at the initiative of the Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann Prussian cultural heritage set up and located at the Berlin State Library . In the coalition agreement of the federal government for the 18th legislative period, the preservation of the written cultural property is listed as a national task. It also states that "[t] he corresponding coordination office at the Berlin State Library [...] will be continued beyond 2015 on the basis of an evaluation that has already been planned and in coordination with the states, possibly via a federal-state funding program ]. ”In the current coalition agreement, the continuation of the funding programs for the preservation of written cultural assets is agreed.
Areas of responsibility and goals
At the national level, the KEK addresses issues relating to the safeguarding of written cultural heritage in libraries, archives, museums and other institutions. For these purposes, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) has provided 500,000 euros in funding annually since 2010 to finance the KEK basic budget. The federal states contribute a further 100,000 euros per year through the Kulturstiftung der Länder (KSL) .
The main tasks of the KEK in the pilot phase from 2010 to 2015 included the development of a national conservation concept for written cultural assets, the evaluation of existing knowledge, the networking of existing institutions and competence centers, and the promotion of model projects. After submitting the national concept as nationwide recommendations for action and successful evaluation, it was decided to continue the KEK as a federal-state project. The KEK model project funding was supplemented by a further funding line in 2017: the BKM special program launched by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media has since supported large-scale measures to preserve written cultural assets.
It is a particular concern of the KEK to sensitize the public to the dangers of the cultural heritage: Because a heightened awareness of the problem is the basis for a more conscious handling of written material worth preserving and, ultimately, an absolute prerequisite for its preservation.
Nationwide recommendations for action
In autumn 2015, the nationwide recommendations for action to preserve written cultural assets in archives and libraries were published. The KEK thus fulfilled its first order at the end of the pilot phase in 2015. This recommendation paper provides a comprehensive balance sheet of damage and dangers to written cultural assets in archives and libraries in Germany. At the same time, the document summarizes for the first time in a cross-disciplinary and cross-border overall concept areas of responsibility that must be strengthened to safeguard the written cultural asset.
KEK model project funding
Since 2010, the KEK has funded more than 310 model projects for the preservation of existing buildings nationwide with a total amount of more than 3.8 million euros. The institutions making the application also had to pay a substantial share of the costs. The KEK model project funding was each one thematic focus in the years 2010–2019. Open-topic funding is possible for 2020.
Topics of the KEK model project funding:
- 2010: The start
- 2011: flames, floods and decay
- 2012: With united forces
- 2013: Large-scale provision
- 2014: Fading Font - Fading Color
- 2015: Forgotten treasures
- 2016: first choice
- 2017: The special format
- 2018: Sharing & Caring
- 2019: prevention is worth it
- 2020: originals received (open-topic funding)
The successes of KEK model project funding since 2010 can be traced in detail in the KEK portal .
BKM special program for the preservation of written cultural assets
In 2017, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) provided money for a second line of funding for the preservation of written cultural assets for the first time: the BKM special program for the preservation of written cultural assets . This funding program was initially set up in the amount of 1 million euros and increased significantly in the following years. In the adjustment meeting of the budget committee of the German Bundestag on November 14, 2019, funding for the conservation and restoration of written cultural assets was set at EUR 3.8 million in 2020.
In contrast to the KEK model project funding, funding in the BKM special program is linked to counter-funding of 50%. This co-financing is largely absorbed by state conservation programs. The state of Hesse provides for measures of original preservation z. B. in 2020 a total of up to 1.5 million euros. Volume treatments and damage records are eligible for funding in the BKM special program. In this way, the need is met that is caused by the massive damage to written cultural property, for example through acid corrosion .
The previous funding successes in the BKM special program can be researched in the KEK portal .
KEK portal
The KEK portal has been providing comprehensive information on the tasks, network partners and funding of KEK since July 2020. The project data has created increased transparency in funding activities since 2010, and applications such as dynamic data visualization according to defined object categories or damage patterns offer the opportunity to evaluate progress in securing the transfer of data or control. The integrated knowledge network enables unconventional entry routes into the terminology of the original preservation and the magazine conveys the original preservation in all its facets in an effective way to the public.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.allianz-kulturgut.de/die-allianz
- ↑ Shaping Germany's future. Coalition agreement for the 18th legislative period. Final version of November 27, 2013, p. 131.
- ↑ A new departure for Europe. A new dynamic for Germany. A new cohesion for our country. Coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. 19th legislative period, p. 169.
- ↑ The preservation of written cultural property in archives and libraries in Germany. Nationwide recommendations for action for the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Conference of Ministers of Education. Berlin, 2015
- ↑ The preservation of written cultural property in archives and libraries in Germany. Nationwide recommendations for action for the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Conference of Ministers of Education. Berlin, 2015
- ↑ press release. (PDF) Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Assets, November 20, 2019, accessed on July 24, 2020 .
- ↑ State program for the promotion of measures to preserve written cultural assets in Hesse. Hessian Ministry for Science and Art, accessed on November 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Funding principles of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) for the funding of projects in the “Special Program for the Preservation of Written Cultural Assets”. (PDF) BKM, December 1, 2018, accessed on November 21, 2019 .