This session explores how online discovery helps cultural heritage organisations unlock their collections to make history truly accessible. Casper Smithson, COO at TownsWeb Archiving / PastView, will discuss how structured, metadata-rich, and searchable collections transform archives into discoverable, usable resources.

Cultural heritage organisations have spent decades building rich, standardised metadata, but are their collections truly discoverable? As AI transforms how users search and interact with digital collections, heritage professionals face a critical question: how do we bridge traditional metadata practices with AI-powered discovery while maintaining the scholarly rigour and contextual depth our collections demand?

Why cultural heritage needs trusted digital infrastructure for collections

Far more than a value statement, trust is an operational requirement in cultural heritage.

As GLAMP institutions open collections to wider audiences, enable new types of discovery, and explore what AI can offer, trusted infrastructure becomes essential.

Background and context
From 19th-century photographic documentation to today's digital-first strategies, the V&A's approach to image and asset management has always centred on one goal: improving public access to its collections. But with over 2.8 million objects and a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS) supporting both curatorial and non-curatorial staff across the museum, ensuring appropriate access requires sophisticated governance frameworks and rights management. 

A journey from a single photograph to worldwide recognition

The Backstory

In 2018, while researching an 1880s South London wrestler and boxer, Jack Wannop, historian Sarah Elizabeth Cox stumbled upon an unusual name in a newspaper archive: "Ching Hook." A Google search led her to a striking photograph held in The National Archives – a young Black boxer, fists raised, digitised but unidentified. There was no other information publicly available about the man.