Abstract:

Bulgarian cultural heritage is defined as a priority in a number of national and regional strategic documents. However, there is no a conceptual model for the integration of scientific, educational and cultural policies and application of ICT in the field of cultural heritage. Such a model would be very useful for the process of the heritage socialisation. The majority of the research are oriented to the cultural heritage or technological problems of digitization of cultural heritage.

This paper describes the ways to create a model for the socialization of museum exposures through modern internet technologies. The report focuses on two priority areas. First, some of the main problems of the museums in Bulgaria in this area are outlined, and the focus of this report is on the exhibition activity. The second part of this report includes a brief study of the pilot models (good practices) applied in our country to create virtual museums and expositions. New technologies such as multimedia, 3D graphics and Virtual Reality can be used to enhance the presentation, offering a more vivid and enjoyable experience. Also, new technologies can be used to improve online users' access and to improve visitor information and engagement.

Innovation has become an important factor to assure a sustainable growth and profit for every industry, especially for tourism where clients are dependent on products and services offered by tourism operators. Respectively, innovation has become a topic of significant interest among museums and have become an important part of the debate on the socialization of the heritage and its transformation into a resource for tourism development. The correctly applied innovation can help museums achieve their mission more effectively.
This paper is part of the research project “Models of Cultural Heritage Socialization in a “Smart City” (ДН 05/3, 14/12/2016) implemented by the State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (SULSIT), funded by the Scientific Research Fund with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Acknowledgements:
The research is supported by the “Models of Cultural Heritage Socialization in a “Smart City” project funded by the Bulgarian National Science Foundation, Competition for financial support of fundamental research(2016), contract № ДН 05/3, 14/12/2016, implemented by the State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies.

Keywords:

Cultural heritage, conceptual model, virtual museums and expositions, internet technologies.