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Ithaka-JISC study on sustainability
PRESS RELEASE
International case studies reveal innovative strategies for
financing digital resources in the non-profit sector
July 15, 2009, New York and London Tens of millions of dollars,
pounds and euros are invested each year by government agencies
and private foundations to develop and support digital resources
in the not-for-profit sector.
As institutional budgets tighten, will these digital resources be
able to survive and thrive? A new study, released today by Ithaka
S+R and the JISC-led Strategic Content Alliance, illustrates the
varied and creative ways in which leaders of digital initiatives,
particularly those developed in the higher education and cultural
heritage sectors, are managing to identify sources of support and
generate revenue.
Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability consists of twelve examples
of digital resource projects 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 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:
www.ithaka.org/ithaka-s-r/strategy/ithaka-case-studies-in-sustainability
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 encyclopedia of
philosophy to an image licensing operation at the Victoria and
Albert Museum.
Each case is extensively researched, drawing from interviews with
key stakeholders of the organization, and details the costs and
revenues that each project generates, while illustrating the
decision-making process that underlies these strategies.
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."
The final report serves as a guide to the cases, and argues that
sustainability entails much more than simply covering the costs
of putting a resource online. Equally important is ensuring the
ongoing development of the resource to suit the continually
evolving needs of its users. The paper presents a framework for
thinking about sustainability, outlining the five stages that
successful projects must undertake in developing sustainability
models: from acquiring a deep understanding of users and their
needs, to thinking broadly about the range of revenue models that
might be possible.
The studies also demonstrate that, while many projects are
attempting to generate some revenue through subscription,
pay-per-view, and a range of licensing arrangements, their
overall financial picture still depends heavily on receiving
direct as well as in-kind support from the institutions that host
them.
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. "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," according to Laura Brown,
Executive Vice President, Ithaka S+R. "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."
Notes:
The projects that served as subjects for the case studies
include:
* BOPCRIS Digitisation Centre, Hartley Library, University of
Southampton (UK)
* Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
(UK)
* DigiZeitschriften, Goettingen State and University Library
(Germany)
* eBird, Information Science Department, Cornell Lab of
Ornithology, Cornell University (US)
* Electronic Enlightenment, Bodleian Library, University of
Oxford (UK)
* Hindawi Publishing Corporation (Egypt)
* Inamediapro and ina.fr, L'Institut national de l'audiovisuel
(France)
* Licensed Internet Associates Program, The National Archives
(UK)
* Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways, National
Science Digital Library (US)
* Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University (US)
* Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, University of California, Irvine
(US)
* V&A Images, Victoria and Albert Museum (UK)
The Strategic Content Alliance is a JISC-led initiative in
partnership with the BBC, Becta, British Library, MLA and NHS
committed to delivering a co-coordinated framework of principles
and best practice for the provision of online content for UK
citizens. Funded as part of JISC's Capital programs, it began in
March 2006, concluded its phase of work in March 2009, and will
conclude its second phase of activity in July 2011. Its aim is to
build a common information environment where users of publicly
funded e-content can gain best value from the investment that has
been made by reducing the barriers that currently inhibit access,
use and re-use of online content
Ithaka S+R (http://www.ithaka.org/ithaka-s-r) is the strategy and
research arm of Ithaka, a not-for-profit organization dedicated
to helping the academic community use digital technologies to
preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and
teaching in sustainable ways. The Ithaka S+R team supports
innovation in higher education by working with initiatives and
organizations to develop sustainable business models and by
conducting research and analysis on the impact of digital media
on the academic community as a whole. Insights from these efforts
are shared broadly, with more than a dozen reports freely
available online. JSTOR and Portico - two efforts to increase
access to scholarly materials and preserve them for future
generations - are also part of Ithaka.