The goal of the Michael project was to provide the citizens of Europe, as well as all interested parties, with access to valuable materials on the history and culture of Europe. Particular attention was paid to such thematic areas as: the history of European thought and science, the development of democracy in Europe; politics, law and history of ideas. Moreover, the project presented cultural and linguistic heritage. The territories of the countries making up the European Union were presented, the borders changing throughout history, the achievements of societies and outstanding individuals from Europe were emphasized.
The project was joined by Italy, France, Great Britain, which initiated the project, as well as the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Malta, Germany, Poland, Portugal and Hungary. Due to the high political commitment of participating Member States, the online service has pursued the role of the European standard for the exchange of information on digitized cultural and scientific content.
The application for Poland to join the MICHAEL project was signed by the Minister of the Interior and Administration in consultation with the Minister of Culture. ICIMSS was responsible for the implementation of the Polish part of the project, i.e. cooperation with the project coordinator and partners, and organizing cooperation between Polish cultural institutions.
The
goals of the project were implemented by:
a) coordinating and
integrating national digitization initiatives participating in the
project,
b) agreeing on and implementing common standards and
technical models,
c) establishing good practices and training
centers,
d) mutual learning based on the mistakes made,
e)
standardization and monitoring of the development of national
digitization initiatives,
f) implementing a common technical
platform and using common sources of multilingual terminology,
g)
establishing real and useful services on these platforms,
h) the
use of broadband Internet, networks and related technologies,
i)
implementation of the objectives set out in the Lund Report
(2001-2005) and in the new 2006 Report, adopted in Bristol on
November 16, 2005 at the meeting of national representatives and
another initiative of the European Commission i2010,
j)
supporting the implementation of the 2006 Report and subsequent ones
in 25 Member States.
The
MICHAEL AISB association founded as a result of this project
continues the activities initiated in the project, which are reported
on the website
http://www.michael-culture.eu/