Resources of the Polish Theatre in Wrocław to go online!
The collections of the Polish Theatre in Wrocław will be digitised and made available online soon. This exceptional project will bring the legacy of one of Poland’s most important theatre institutions closer to a wide audience. The initiative is being carried out with the participation of the Reprography and Digitalisation Unit of the Library of the University of Wrocław.
The project is part of the initiative Bliżej Teatru. Digitalizacja i udostępnianie zasobów archiwalnych Teatru Polskiego we Wrocławiu (eng. Closer to the Theatre. Digitisation and Online Access to the Archival Resources of the Polish Theatre in Wrocław), which has been positively assessed and awarded funding of PLN 10,508,135. It will be implemented in cooperation with the Digitisation and Digital Services Division of the University of Wrocław Library and the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences – Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre (ICHB PAN PCSS).
The project’s goal is not only to safeguard the unique cultural heritage of the Polish Theatre in Wrocław against deterioration but also to make it available in a modern, digital format.
As a result, digital theatre resources will become more widely accessible, their quality and usability will be enhanced, and barriers to accessing cultural heritage will be reduced.
Digitisation will also open new opportunities for academic research, education and artistic creativity – both in Poland and abroad.
Within the framework of the project, the following are planned:
– creation of a system for managing, processing and sharing the theatre’s digital archive, with integration into the infrastructure of the Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre, responsible for developing the Digital Theatres System;
– expansion of the University-wide Digitisation Process Management System (IZZ), developed by the Library of the University of Wrocław and its integration with the Digital Theatres System;
– purchase and development of IT infrastructure;
– development of a set of best practices for similar projects in Poland, and training on system operation and digitisation processes for the project team and archivists.
This marks another important step towards a modern, universally accessible cultural heritage.
By 2028, more than 70,000 objects will have been digitised, including:
– play scripts and theatre texts,
– posters, playbills and programmes,
– photographs, reviews, chronicles and correspondence,
– audio and video recordings of performances,
– selected costumes and props in 3D format.
Role of project partners
- Polish Theatre in Wrocław – project leader: responsible for coordinating all activities, preparing metadata and implementing the Digital Theatres System.
- Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre (ICHB PAN) – responsible for creating and maintaining digital infrastructure, developing the Digital Theatres System, ensuring integration with national and European repositories, and guaranteeing data security.
- University of Wrocław, Digitisation and Digital Services Division of the Library – carries out and oversees the digitisation process, prepares the presentation of digital objects in line with the international IIIF standard for inclusion in the Digital Theatres System, and trains staff in modern digitisation methods.
The project Bliżej Teatru. Digitalizacja i udostępnianie zasobów archiwalnych Teatru Polskiego we Wrocławiu is co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund under Priority 2: Advanced Digital Services, Measure 3: Digital Accessibility and Re-use of Information, of the EU’s Digital Development Funds Programme 2021–2027.
Following the official signing of the agreement by the project leader and the funding institution, the first meeting of the project team took place on 23 September at the Polish Theatre in Wrocław.
The University of Wrocław was represented by: dr Dorota Siwecka – Director of the Library of the University of Wrocław, Magdalena Zimoląg – Library Director’s Representative for Financial Affairs, Marcin Szala – Head of the Reprography and Digitalisation Unit, Rafał Raczyński – IT Systems Administrator and Tomasz Kalota – Rector’s Representative for Regional GLAM.
Date of publication: 26.09.2025
Added by: M.J.