NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2003
Contact: Kathlin Smith 202-939-4754
Report Examines Sustainability of Digital Cultural Heritage Initiatives
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Digital cultural heritage initiatives—organizations or programs that create digital products for use in the cultural or educational community or that address issues integral to the promotion of cultural heritage—are proliferating rapidly. Many of them have produced valuable resources for research and teaching. Support for these initiatives, however, remains dependent on external funding. The current economic downturn has put many at high risk of failure.
What strategies might put these initiatives on firm footing? In 2002, to help answer this question, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) commissioned a survey of 33 North American-based digital cultural heritage initiatives. Five public and private funding organizations that support projects with a digital cultural heritage component were also surveyed. Survey findings and recommendations have recently been reported in A Survey of Digital Cultural Heritage Initiatives and Their Sustainability Concerns, by museum consultant Diane M. Zorich.
The survey findings cover such topics as mission, products and services, organization, governance, staff, needs assessment, founding history, organizational alliances, sources of support, business models, financial management, and sustainability. The funders' survey obtained information on reasons for funding digital cultural initiatives, the impact of the economy on funding sources, evaluating and encouraging sustainability, and special sustainability initiatives at public funding agencies. The report includes recommendations for planning and marketing, training, integration and culling, stable repositories for digital cultural resources, and fostering communication.
A Survey of Digital Cultural Heritage Initiatives and Their Sustainability Concerns is available on CLIR's Web site at http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub118abst.html. Print copies will soon be available for ordering through the Web site.
The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the management of information for research, teaching, and learning. CLIR works to expand access to information, however recorded and preserved, as a public good.
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