Unlocking Cultural Heritage: The Gamified Digitisation Project of SMA-UniGe

The University of Genoa, Italy, addresses the challenge of inaccessible cultural heritage stored in university archives worldwide by implementing a comprehensive digitisation initiative. This project focuses on collecting, storing, and digitising a wide array of items, including books, manuscripts, archival materials, and documents related to museum artifacts. To ensure accessibility for both humans and machines, the initiative involves providing alternate descriptions, metadata, and speech-to-text transcriptions for images and videos, as well as word-for-word transcripts for ancient texts where OCR is ineffective. We present the design of a transcription system for the University Museum System (SMA-UniGe) at the University of Genoa, which includes user interface elements and engagement techniques. By leveraging gamification theory, the system transforms the typically monotonous task of transcription into an engaging experience, encouraging participation from digital volunteers. This initiative aligns with the University’s third mission of public engagement, aiming to disseminate knowledge beyond the academic environment and contribute to social, cultural, and economic development.