Mara Bernardini

Mara Bernardini is a PhD candidate in History, Anthropology, and Religions at Sapienza University of Rome, where her research focuses on the digitalization of ethno-anthropological heritage and on methodologies for the documentation and management of cultural heritage. She also holds a Postgraduate Specialization Diploma in Ethno-Anthropological Heritage from the same institution. She collaborates with national institutions involved in the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, including the Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation (ICCD), the National School of Cultural Heritage and Activities, and several ABAP Superintendencies, carrying out research, cataloguing activities, and the development of tools for cultural data management.

Within the framework of the JERUS-IT-ARTS project, she contributed to the development of VIM – Valigia Immateriale(Intangible Suitcase), participating in the design of a digital cataloguing system for the emergency documentation of intangible cultural heritage. In particular, she contributed to the definition of the data architecture and controlled vocabularies for the cataloguing of musical and sound expressions, as well as to the design of forms and data-collection tools based on open-source platforms, integrating the categories established by the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. She also supported the development of methodological protocols, metadata standards, and interoperability criteria required for the integration of data with major digital cultural heritage management infrastructures.