Sustainable strategies for digital resources
Spending on digital resources is under the spotlight in an international study which aims to help the not-for-profit sector develop cost-effective strategies for financing technology.
As institutional budgets tighten, will these digital resources be able to survive and thrive?
The study, released today (15 July 2009) by the Jisc-led Strategic Content Alliance and Ithaka S+R, looks at twelve different projects across the globe and how they are successfully identifying sources of support and generating revenue.
The studies demonstrate that, while many projects are attempting to generate some revenue through subscription, pay-per-view and a range of licensing arrangements, their income still depends heavily on support from the institutions that host them.
Dr Malcolm Read, Jisc’s Executive Secretary said, “These case studies demonstrate the innovative and dynamic approaches for universities and others to sustain digital resources online in the most cost effective way.”
“These case studies demonstrate the innovative and dynamic approaches for universities and others to sustain digital resources online in the most cost effective way.”
‘Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability’ consists of twelve examples of digital resource projects in higher education and the cultural heritage sector, and a final report, ‘Sustaining Digital Resources: An On-the-Ground View of Projects Today’, written by Ithaka S+R analysts Nancy L. Maron, K. Kirby Smith and Matthew Loy.
The case studies provide a rare glimpse into the strategies of twelve digital initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and North America—ranging from an online scholarly encyclopaedia of philosophy to an image licensing operation at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The work was jointly funded by Jisc’s Strategic Content Alliance in the UK and the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation in the United States. The full report and case studies are available online and open for comment.
Each case is extensively researched, complete with interviews with key stakeholders, details of the costs and revenues that each project generates, and information on the decision-making process behind the strategies.
The final report argues that sustainability entails much more than simply covering the costs of putting a resource online, but also ongoing development to suit the evolving needs of its users. The paper presents a framework for thinking about sustainability and outlines the five stages of developing a successful sustainability model, from acquiring a deep understanding of users and their needs, to thinking broadly about the range of revenue models that might be possible.
The work is part of a long term examination into the sustainability of digital content, supported by the Jisc-led Strategic Content Alliance in the UK, and builds upon the 2008 Ithaka Report, ‘Sustainability and Online Revenue Models for Online Academic Resources’.
According to Laura Brown, Executive Vice President of Ithaka S+R: “Supporting digital content online is a challenge every sector is grappling with and we are just now starting to see patterns emerge in terms of how these initiatives are being financed and managed.
“We hope that by examining projects that appear to be thriving, we can begin to identify models that will work best to support these tremendously valuable resources.”