Collections development
From Digipedia
| How useful is this article to you? 1 (not useful) - 5 (very useful) |
| Current average rating: 0 |
| Please login or create an account to rate this article |
Contents |
OVERVIEW
Collections development refers to the way in which a collection may change over time, either in its nature or in the way in which it is used. In a digital environment new devices, software technologies or other developments (e.g. Creative Commons licensing) may arise which enable new and/or different uses for existing content.
Principles for good digital collections
The basic principles for building and developing good digital collections are set out in the IMLS/NISO Framework of guidance for building good digital collections as follows:
A digital collection consists of digital objects that are selected and organized to facilitate their discovery, access, and use. Objects, metadata, and the user interface together create the user experience of a collection.
Principles that apply to good digital collections are:
- A good digital collection is created according to an explicit collection development policy.
- Collections should be described so that a user can discover characteristics of the collection, including scope, format, restrictions on access, ownership, and any information significant for determining the collection’s authenticity, integrity, and interpretation.
- A good collection is curated, which is to say, its resources are actively managed during their entire lifecycle.
- A good collection is broadly available and avoids unnecessary impediments to use. Collections should be accessible to persons with disabilities, and usable effectively in conjunction with adaptive technologies.
- A good collection respects intellectual property rights.
- A good collection has mechanisms to supply usage data and other data that allows standardized measures of usefulness to be recorded.
- A good collection is interoperable.
- A good collection integrates into the users own workflow.
- A good collection is sustainable over time.
The collection development policy
Any collection development policy will be based on the aims and objectives of the organisation, will respond to perceived user need defined through regular audience analysis and will be embedded in the sustainability plan for the relevant service or services. The policy will also take into account any IPR and licensing implications either associated with the individual content objects or with associated material which accompanies objects.
Physical and digital materials The relationship between existing physical collections, their use, condition and purpose, and digital surrogates or other content will also inform the overall direction of a collections development policy. For example, there are a number of ways in which digital collections already extend the life of their analogue counterpart:
- They act as surrogates and thus preserve the life of the former from excessive handling
- They are visible online - creating awareness of and/or demand for the original artifacts
- They can be aggregated online with similar collections (by location or by theme)
- They can be combined with related resources through syndication or online curation
- They can provide an income stream (rights permitting)
Collection audit Priorities for collections development will be driven by a mix of organisational goals, service aims and objectives and the collections available for inclusion (whether physical or born digital). Material to be selected for digitisation as part of a collections development policy will need careful consideration and will be the subject of its own policy relating to the wider context.
Developing a born digital collection
When considering a born digital collection (or indeed a digitised collection) consideration needs to be given to the evolving technical landscape, when deciding the criteria by which digital objects are upgraded. Such criteria may include financial or aesthetic and judgements made as to the right time to undertake such work.
Related Digipedia articles
Further information
IMLS/NISO Framework of guidance for building good digital collections
Harvested links to other other resources
Failed to load RSS feed from http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/index.cfm?ct=ws.search/keywords/collections,%20digital/returnType/resource/format/rss!
[[role::newcomer]] [[role::strategy manager]] [[role::policy maker]] [[role::project manager]] [[role::content manager]] [[role::acquisitions manager]] [[goal::managing]] [[goal::content]] [[goal::developing]] [[level::basic]] [[level::medium]]
