Cultural heritage literacy: A survey of academics from humanities and social sciences

Abstract

In the 21st century, some factors, such as the awareness of multiculturalism, the preservation of local culture and the recognition of national cultural heritage, have led to the need for a new literacy skill called cultural heritage literacy. This study aimed to draw attention to the concept of cultural heritage literacy, defining the competencies of this literacy and investigating these competencies among academics from the humanities and social sciences at Hacettepe University Faculty of Letters, Turkey. Cultural heritage information needs and the information behaviours of academics were found to have differences in practices and perceptions across age, gender, status and subject disciplines. Within the scope of the study, a questionnaire with 30 questions was given to 114 academics from the humanities and social sciences at Hacettepe University Faculty of Letters, Turkey. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test. The findings show that most of the academics reported having strong cultural heritage literacy abilities. There are statistically significant correlations between participants’ demographic features and cultural heritage literacy. It is expected that this study will contribute to the professionals of cultural heritage institutions. By considering cultural heritage literacy skills, professionals of cultural heritage institutions can develop new information services for cultural-heritage literate people.