DIGITALIZACJA DZIEDZICTWA KULTUROWEGO W POLSCE. REPOZYTORIA CYFROWE JAKO POTENCJALNE ŹRÓDŁO DOSTĘPU DO ZASOBÓW KULTUROWYCH

The digitization of cultural heritage has become signifi cant activity of national and regional institutions as well as individual and informal groups. The process simplifi es the preservation of memory of the past of a given community, thus reasserting its collective identity. In our article, we discuss some aspects of this process. We focus on the legislative determinants of digitization in relation to European Union and Polish law and we analyse the repositories, including digitized objects. Our research leads to the conclusion that digitization is seen by lawmakers as an important element of cultural policies. The research proves that unlocking the centrally institutionalized process of digitization to grass-roots initiatives (social archiving) is more and more signifi cant, even though the main role in this process is now played by public institutions.