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The digitization of humanity’s cultural heritage is not only an IT project, but also an organi‐ zational one, affecting many objects and areas of society (an interdisciplinary project). Cultural heritage objects are protected or overseen by various institutions. These institutions are pri‐ marily museums, but also other entities, such as religious associations and local governments. During digitization, cultural heritage objects should be made available to IT teams carrying out the work. This work often requires long‐term (1–2 days) access to the object. This usually creates conflicts with their everyday operations. Museums are open to tourists; other objects continue to function; and those closed for use remain closed. Even small museum objects must be removed from display during digitization and made available to IT teams (and secured for this period), which usually means limited visitor access. For large objects, excluding them from tourist exploration is practically impossible. These problems are discussed in this article based on two completed digitization projects: “3D Digital Silk Road”, funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, and “Research on the national cultural heritage of the Polish community in the US and the creation of digital memory collections,” funded by the Polish Minister of Education and Science. Both projects were implemented in two different locations around the world, with significantly different cultural backgrounds. Approaches and methods for addressing the identified problems are presented, from appropriate object‐scanning methodologies to organizational solutions.
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