The purpose of gathering original archival material -manuscripts, booklets, media, exclusive publications, tape recordings, video, documentaries, movies, CD, figurines, stage scenes and so on- for the in-development digital archive of the Shadow Theatre, is the localization of public and private collections and archives. In the core, we can find the first intention of the program, as it deals with the only way of materializing a digital archive that will be in the position to serve effectively to the objective of its existence.
Both in Greece and abroad there are museums (mainly devoted to folklore) as well as public and private archives and libraries where important archival and collectable material is preserved. An important number of fans of the genre collected material for years, exclusively moved by their love to this particular spectacle, which transports them to their childhood; it is considered to be one of the most characteristic examples of the new Modern Greek popular culture. The difficulty to find these people as well as their heirs requires an extraordinary thorough research, which would be impossible to succeed without the cooperation of all those who implicitly believe in the usefulness of this program and are willing to collaborate in its materialization.
Specially rich are the collections and archives of many karagkiosopektes, namely of the oldest ones, who apart from their personal production of figurines, stage scenes, posters, recordings and their work from the media, often made real efforts to gather material of other artists like them. The problem in this case can be found in the general disbelief that prevails among these professionals, who fear the possibility of being dispossessed of their spiritual rights; as a consequence, they remain hermetically closed regarding the disposition of the material they own. One of the main objectives of the program is to make them understand that the digitization of their personal material contributes to the legal protection of their spiritual rights, whereas at the same time constitutes an ideal way to show the collection or the archive to the world. For the security of the rights, the Centre of Byzantine, Modern Greek and Cypriot Studies commits itself, where required, to signing an agreement by which the Centre assumes the responsibility to not publish the digitized material without explicit consent of the legal owner of the collection.
For a better showing of the material, the C.E.B.N.Ch. also commits itself to display a special webpage containing both the public and private collections and archives available in digital form. The Centre equally assumes the entire process of digitization, upon request by the owner of the collection or archive.
