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12 October 2005
Report audits digital media capability in Scottish Cultural Organisations
Posted by Paul Miller at October 12, 2005 10:43 AM
The Scottish Executive has released a report prepared for them by Simulacra, authored by Alan Flett and Alice Grant.
The report, An audit of digital media services in Scotland's Tourist, Sporting and Cultural Organisations,
“provide[s] a baseline from which the Scottish Executive could assess the extent of the use of digital media services (DMS) in the sporting, tourist and cultural sectors in Scotland. This would allow for the development of a suitable digital media services strategy in these sectors. Taking account of where Scotland is at present the audit will facilitate a well informed strategy that will take Scotland forward in as an efficient and effective a way as possible.”
Sixty organisations were contacted during the research, with 58 individuals from 42 organisations eventually completing an online questionnaire or participating in a telephone-based interview.
The report concludes that the Scottish digital media space is healthy, and demonstrating significant institutional innovation. A concern was expressed, however, that current developments were not sufficiently integrated, leading to the reinvention of wheels, and the delivery of unnecessarily disjointed services. This is hardly a problem that is unique to Scotland.
The report makes 11 broad recommendations, listed on pages 10 and 11, and explored in greater detail throughout the text.
- “Investigate ways in which smaller organisations in the sector can have access to 'start- up' or 'pump-prime' skills which will allow them to connect with external services in an informed and appropriate manner.
- Investigate the potential for market research and user evaluation to be disseminated across the sector in order to ensure that work is not repeated.
- Review the skills gap required to support digital culture / art.
- Review a common information environment for Scotland, how it affects the Scottish Citizen and what the benefits to them would be.
- Develop a clear map of the information services being offered in the cultural sector, ensuring that this presents a cohesive view to users.
- Review how digital media services can be made more seamless and better integrated into the local infrastructure.
- Investigate ways in which smaller and distributed organisations can gain access to digital media services to enable them to share knowledge, information and content more effectively.
- Review how standards-compliant are current learning resources provided by TCS organisations.
- Review Scran’s business model in a way which reflects the current organisational needs across the cultural and educational sectors.
- Identify and facilitate the sharing of best practice in the development and use of digital media service across the cultural sector.
- Review what technical standards for use in the common information environment are required in Scotland’s TCS sectors.” (my emphasis)
Evidence gathered in the surveys will help to shape the Scottish Executive's response to the recent findings of the Cultural Commission.
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