Mapping Trends in Education for Cultural Heritage Professionals: Insights from the DCbox Project

PURPOSE. This article discusses the role of the digital curator in cultural heritage, highlighting trends in training programs and best practices of museums in the digital age. It emphasizes the potential of geolocation in a Web Geographic Information System (Web-GIS) environment to enhance the accessibility and preservation of digitized museums. The analysis, conducted as part of the “DCbox – Digital Curator Mapping and Design” project, emphasizes the need for professionals specializing in digital cultural heritage and redefines the digital curator as a mediator between culture, technology and global audiences. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH. The study explores the evolution of the curator’s role since 2000, examining opportunities and challenges of digital humanities and analyzing EU-funded projects and emerging trends. It focuses on the incorporation of digital technologies by museums through geolocated analysis, proposing a customized educational program for training professional digital curators. The conclusions and recommendations of the report are based on a thorough analysis of national situations and case studies from neighboring countries. FINDINGS. The analysis of training programs and museum best practices led to the proposal of a customized educational program aimed at training professional digital curators. This program considers various multidisciplinary areas, blending specific topics and subjects to achieve a unique set of functional skills, encompassing both theoretical and practical aspects. ORIGINALITY/VALUE. The innovative aspect of this paper is the approach to geolocating digitized museums through a Web-based GIS, providing detailed informational profiles of various offerings, including augmented, virtual, mixed reality and virtual tours.