“Together let’s create a digital photo narrative” – with this message the National Library of Parliament of Georgia and Geocell launched a project with the aim of collecting photographic material scattered across the different regions of Georgia, and digitalizing it all for archiving purposes.
Important information including photos and other documents are to be found in many households throughout the country. The new project will serve as a means of discovering material previously unknown to society, and converting it into digital versions to preserve for future generations. Having sourced and digitalized the material, the National Library and Geocell will showcase it online. Thus, the idea is to create yet another important archive in the National Library of Parliament of Georgia.
Special mobile groups have been created which travel throughout Georgia equipped with special equipment and will digitalise the photos. At this stage more than 50,000 photos in 8 regions of Georgia have already been digitalized.
To provide easy access to the digitalized photos Geocell has created a special webpage http://www.photomatiane.ge/ through which everyone can see the photo material.
This is a unique project that enables everybody to be a part of it. The idea of its message reflects the same – to create a digital photo narrative together with Geocell.
Geocell considers it very important to have an archive of photos reflecting the 19th-20th centuries. There are photo albums kept in almost every family throughout Georgia. Photos preserve the memory of families’ ancestors. These photos might be really important not only to individual families, but to Georgian society as well. By digitalizing photos and creating an archive, 19th and 20th century Georgia will come alive for which the role of Geocell is “crucial to contributing to the popularization of this initiative.”
It has always been important for Geocell to carry out projects for the country’s cultural heritage. Therefore this project with the National Library of Georgia is very interesting for the company. Geocell wants to preserve values and transfer them to future generations through modern technologies. To have a digital photo archive in the National Library will also make it possible for people to access this ‘Digital Photo Narrative’ through mobile internet.
Geocell and the National Library invite everyone who is willing to participate in creating Georgia’s digital narrative through modern technologies, to take part in the initiative.
