Since the Cultural anche Creative sector in made of multiple industries, the data sources used are numerous. That is why not all information is updated taking into account the same year or time frame. In either titles or descriptions the year considered is always indicated.
DIGITALIZATION
The last ten years have been characterized by the rise of new technologies, with great attention to the digital world. All sectors were involved, the cultural and creative one as well.
New products and services, new types of cultural access, new applications to improve management, new solutions aimed at simplifying day-to-day tasks… but not all artistic experiences and creative products have a technology-driven nature. Some more than others have struggled to approach this domain, some organizations have had a hard time in understanding its perks. However the consequences generated by the pandemic have certainly encouraged cultural professionals to look at digitalization from new standpoints: indeed, Covid19 has weakened several economic sectors, CCIs in particular.
Nevertheless, the need for new artistic languages and instruments – forced by the pandemic – has enabled and accelerated many digital processes, which are bound to stay in the years to come. This revolution is supported by the ICT sector which, in Emilia-Romagna, is considered within the perimeter of cultural and creative industries. It has been growing steadily also during the crisis and represents a great part of the added value and turnover of the sector as a whole.
Putting effort and investing resources in the digital world is essential to adapt to the current context, grow and keep experimenting. It is considered an asset and one of the principles that the European Union has identified to allow member States to access the Recovery Fund, together with the green economy.
Actions to strengthen digital competencies and to connect with diversified audiences through new technologies will likely be fostered in all subsectors, from cultural heritage, to the film industry to the performing arts. The Emilia-Romagna Regional Government has already started investing resources: it aims to encourage the digital evolution of CCIs.
Performing arts
Technology the performing art sector is only about new innovative shows; adequate infrastructures and services are pivotal to allow for news experiments. In 2021, a study observed that 66% of theater venues operating in the region have an internet connection; 57% of which have a fiber optic network while only 17% have an xDSL connection. 33% locations have an open Wifi .
Monitoring, however, the digital evolution and revolutions in this field can be complex as there are no official statistics aimed at analyzing this aspect. Nevertheless, there is an ever-growing pool of calls for proposals encouraging new experiments in the digital sphere, theater awards that have been lunched or are adapting to this evolution, etc.
Digital museums
How to measure the digitalisation of museums? Specific indicators were selected to evaluate the state of affairs regarding this aspect, namely: details on online ticketing services, social media accounts, access to the Wi-fi network and digital catalogues
The most positive data concerns social networks: the majority of museums – around 76% – are on one or more of these platforms.
Digital libraries
Regional libraries have started understanding the perks of technological solutions. Almost 19% of libraries have digitized and made their material accessible online while 6.4% have not yet published it. Local libraries are strong when it comes to digital catalogs – 89% provide this possibility, whether individually or in a network with other libraries – and online services, such as book booking, posting and lending .
The digital loan is an opportunity provided by many structures: a service that has been ain place for years but which has boomed from 2020 onwards.
This offer is possible thanks to two regional tools: EmiLib – the digital library of the Emilian provinces – and its counterpart for the Romagna territories – Romagna Library Network.
S3 financing
Several regional policy instruments and programmes have been funding digital initiatives developed by CCIs, in accordance with the guidelines defined by the regional Smart Specialization Strategy which includes, among its priority sectors, the Orange Economy.
Different kinds of actions have been supported: research and innovation projects, startups, capacity building. The nature of the players that have had access to these opportunities are varied: training institutions, research laboratories, enterprises, local entities.
