Research project P4S/251/DeCoDE (Research action P4S)
Libraries and archives increasingly preserve cultural heritage in digital form. Yet, ensuring that digital collections remain accessible over the long term presents major technical challenges. At the same time, heritage institutions are rethinking how they describe and provide access to collections shaped by colonial histories, recognising that archival practices and metadata are never entirely neutral. The DeCoDE project (Decolonizing Collection Management and Digital Ecosystem) brings these two challenges together, demonstrating how technical preservation standards can support more equitable access to cultural heritage.
A central objective of the project is to improve KBR's alignment with the Open Archival Information System (OAIS), the internationally recognised reference model for trustworthy digital repositories. By documenting existing workflows, benchmarking international best practices, conducting an OAIS self-assessment, and developing a concrete action plan, DeCoDE will help ensure the sustainable preservation of both digitised and born-digital collections for future generations.
The connection between digital preservation and decolonial heritage management lies in one of the key concepts of the OAIS model: the designated community. OAIS requires that preserved digital objects remain not only technically accessible, but also findable, understandable, and reusable by their intended user communities over time. DeCoDE relies on this principle to ask who these designated communities are, whose perspectives have traditionally been excluded from archival description, and how metadata can better reflect multiple historical viewpoints. In doing so, the project acknowledges that long-term preservation is not solely a technical challenge but also one of knowledge representation and accessibility.
Using a representative corpus of materials related to Belgium's colonial history in Central Africa—including maps, newspapers, books, prints and drawings, coins and medals, web archives, and born-digital literary works—DeCoDE will strengthen KBR's long-term digital preservation infrastructure while simultaneously rethinking how these collections are described, organised, and made accessible. The project will use this corpus both as a technical testbed and as a case study for developing more inclusive archival practices.
The project will develop participatory methodologies involving researchers, heritage professionals, and representatives of communities connected to the collections. Through co-creation workshops and collaborative reflection, DeCoDE will explore more inclusive approaches to metadata and collection management while remaining fully compatible with international preservation standards. Beyond KBR, DeCoDE aims to contribute to the broader heritage sector by producing practical recommendations, policy guidance, and openly available resources that can support other cultural heritage institutions facing similar challenges. The project's outcomes will strengthen digital preservation practices, improve access to historically significant collections, and contribute to international discussions on ethical, sustainable, and inclusive stewardship of digital cultural heritage.
Through this combination of technical innovation and critical reflection, DeCoDE demonstrates how digital preservation can not only safeguard cultural heritage, but also foster more transparent, inclusive, and socially responsible heritage infrastructures for the future.
