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a Mukurtu-powered archive is a “safe keeping place,” acommunity repository for cultural materials and knowledgethat grows from sustained use, dialogue and negotiations(Mukurtu 2012).Over the course of the two-day workshop at theSAC, Dr. Christen and Dr. Ashley introduced Mukurtu’smain features and instructed SAC staff on how totechnically implement the platform. Although staff are stilldeciding if Mukurtu will beincorporated into any existingSAC databases, the Mukurtuworkshop was a catalystfor needed discussion andexchange. SAC researchersgave presentations ontheir respective projects,specifically highlightingproject target groups and processes of communityparticipation in management and utilization of data. Thepresentations provided valuable opportunities for staffto reflect upon the trajectories of their projects in thecontext of the SAC’s strategic objectives and the sourcecommunity-drivenethos of Mukurtu. In consideringthe SAC’s digital databases, Dr. Paritta ChalermpowKoanantakool, the former director of the SAC, calledfor increased “database dialogue,” or the fostering ofconnections and collaborations across databases andprojects. Before such dialogue can occur, however,target groups must be firmly delineated, which involvesconfronting the perceived dichotomy between academicsand source communities as target user groups. TheLocal Museums in Thailand team is currently grapplingwith this issue as they develop access options for theLocal Museums Database to enable museum staff andlocal community members to contribute and modifycontent. Similarly, the Anthropological Archives Databaseresearchers are creating a system of cultural protocols thatwill protect culturally sensitive content and allow sourcecommunity members to add their own narratives to thematerials gathered by anthropologists.“The availability of Mukurturepresents a crucial steptowards integrating therights and voices of sourcecommunities into all aspectsof heritage management”One concern that was raised by SAC staff, however, isthe suitability of digital platforms like Mukurtu in a localThai context. In communities where computer use is stillvery much determined by age and income, embodyingthe inequalities of the “digital divide,” staff fear thatthe introduction of Mukurtu could unintentionally resultin the creation of an exclusive community-within-acommunityof contributors, or individuals who already havecomputer skills and can attest to the relevance of digitaltechnologies to their daily lives.This inadvertent preferencingof voices would be difficultto avoid in communities withfew computers or computersavvymembers. Moreover,SAC staff worry that in suchcommunities, the desire toutilize a program like Mukurtuwould not emerge from within the community itself,but would instead be encouraged and imposed byresearchers, therefore undermining the researchers’and Mukurtu’s core goal of community ownership andempowerment.The Mukurtu Workshop helped to draw outand illuminate the challenges that face project staff indeveloping dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable digitaldatabases. As cultural heritage resources are increasinglydigitized and made accessible via the internet, practitionerseverywhere must consider how these rich accounts oftangible and intangible culture can be shared in ways thatrespect the rights and priorities of source communitiesand position community members as primary decisionmakers.References CitedMukurtu. “Manual: FAQ.” Last modified May 23, 2012. http://www.mukurtu.org/wiki/Manual:FAQ.The availability of Mukurtu represents a crucialstep towards integrating the rights and voices of sourcecommunities into all aspects of heritage management.3