Importance of digitization of cultural and heritage materials

India is rich in culture and heritage. Photographs are one of the important mediums of cultural heritage materials. The present paper emphasizes the importance of photographs as cultural and heritage materials. It discusses different aspects of photographs and the importance of digitization of such materials while presenting different techniques adapted in different projects at different places for posterity as well as for easy accessibility. It also enumerates the importance of the metadata adhering to Dublin Core Metadata Standards.