The Cultural Policy Aspects of Digitalisation of Written Cultural Heritage in Europe and in Hungary

Cultural policy focuses on three basic areas; namely the process of creating culture, „consuming” culture and the preservation of cultural heritage that will insure that culture will be transmitted to the next generation. Companies working in the cultural arena primarily find business opportunities within the first two areas so state has to keep a well-balanced development of each of these three fields. The digitalisation of written cultural heritage allows us to overview and analise the incredible number of documents. This could not be done through traditional tools such as catalogues, and bibliographies, etc. Digitalisation also enables us to hand down cultural products created in a given period by allowing access to the digital copies for anyone on an equal basis. European states, however, gave in the pressure of private companies in the process of digitalisation and allowed, to a considerable extent, free competition in producing digital copies. By doing this, small cultures acquired new handicaps besides the ones they had already had and their chances of presenting their cultural heritage has considerably diminished. Furthermore, the principle of equal access to cultural products has also been violated. The irresponsible attitude of the states do not allow the actors of education – pupils and students as well as teachers and professors – to have free and universal access to cultural heritage maintaining the freedom for interpretation by using modern technology in return for paying tax