The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the not-for-profit research and consulting group Ithaka S+R have released the Searching for Sustainability: Strategies from Eight Digitized Special Collections report. The report aims to address one of the biggest challenges facing libraries and cultural heritage organisations: how to move their special collections into the 21st century through digitisation while developing successful strategies to make sure those collections remain accessible and relevant over time.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a major funder of digitisation projects for the past decade, observed the same challenge among libraries, archives, and museums. As a result, IMLS funded ARL, in partnership with Ithaka S+R, through a cooperative agreement as part of the National Leadership Grants Program to undertake a study to uncover and share examples of good practice, with the expectation that others might model the approaches seen among those digital collections that are succeeding.
The resulting report draws out several strategies that have worked for a range of digital collections across eight institutions, all of which have demonstrated longevity and public benefit, and all of which have reliable and recurring funding models.
The case studies include: American Antiquarian Society Digital Collections, Biodiversity Heritage Library (Smithsonian Institution), Florida Folklife Collection (Florida Department of State, Division of Library & Information Services), Grateful Dead Archive Online (University of California, Santa Cruz), Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition, and History (Cornell University), Maine Memory Network (Maine Historical Society), Quakers and Slavery (Haverford College) and Vanderbilt Television News Archive (Vanderbilt University).
Each case study begins with a brief history of a project and an outline of the project's current sustainability strategy. It then focuses on the project's economic model and other sources of value, like its ability to attract and serve its users. The studies also highlight potential risks and lessons that others can learn from these project experiences.
The summary report brings together key takeaways from the studies, revealing that collections are most successful when their creation and maintenance are mainstreamed in ways that diverge from special collections of the past. The report also shows that collections best succeed when they align strongly with the missions of their home institutions. While there is not one clear answer or silver bullet for success, there are consistent themes. Some of these reflect insights that emerged from previous studies of digital projects, such as having strong, dedicated leadership and funding models that fit the intentions and value of the resource - from membership fees to strategic partnerships of various kinds.
Searching for Sustainability: Strategies from Eight Digitized Special Collections is freely available at http://www.sr.ithaka.org/research-publications/searching-sustainability.
