Europeana V3.0 launch at Eremo

Participants at the Europeana V3.0 kickoff. Europeana CC BY-SA

No, we didn’t propel a new kind of rocket into space; Europeana V3.0 is just the name of the recently started core project that forms the basis of Europeana. As the successor to Europeana V2, the project aims to provide Europeana and its key partners with a framework that defines the core functions of the organisation: aggregation, facilitation, innovation and policy, distribution and engagement, network and sustainability, technology, corporate communications and management and finance.

Europeana V3 officially started on 1 June 2014 and will last exactly one year. To make sure that everyone is on the same page and knows what the project is about and what is expected from Europeana’s teams and partners, a kick-off meeting was organised 5-6 June at the very special venue of Eremo, a former hermitage located just outside of Ancona, Italy.

 For hundreds of years, this place was inhabited by monks that led a life of penance and prayer. In recent times, the Hermitage of the White Friars of Cupramontana tried to save it from disappearing from the face of the earth, as it was falling into disrepair after being abandoned by the hermits. The remoteness and isolation of the hermitage makes it an excellent place for meetings.

During the kick-off, many important events that will take place this year were discussed, such as the Greek and Italian Presidency, the EuropeanaTECH conference, the Projects Group Assembly and the Annual General Meeting. More technical issues were discussed during breakout sessions, such as ‘roundtripping provider data’, which should provide the mechanisms to accommodate user-generated content in such a way that it enriches institutional metadata and can be ‘brought back’ to providers of content.

Of course, all of this has to be aligned with the Business Plan 2014 and the new Strategic Plan. Therefore the work package leaders were asked to present the planned activities in V3.0 and highlight connections and overlaps with other Europeana projects, such as Food and Drink, Sounds, eCloud and Space.

Participants do some spadework at the Europeana V3.0 kickoff. Europeana CC BY-SA

It was not only mental work; the participants were asked to do some do some hard manual labour. Old sewages were cleaned, floors were swept and the old bell towers and their surrounding terraces were cleared. We all work in cultural heritage, but for many of us this was the first time we were actually in physical contact with ancient culture!