sustainability myths

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Sustainability Myths: Updates to the Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability Nancy Maron Ithaka S+R March 18, 2011

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A presentation from the JISC conference New Strategies for Digital Content, 18 March 2011, LondonBy Nancy Maron http://digitisation.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2010/12/09

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Sustainability Myths

Sustainability Myths:Updates to the Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability

Nancy MaronIthaka S+R

March 18, 2011

Page 2: Sustainability Myths

• Ithaka S+R works with initiatives and organizations to develop sustainable business models and conducts research and analysis on the impact of digital media on the academic community as a whole.

• JSTOR helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive of over 1,000 academic journals and other content. JSTOR uses information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.

• Portico preserves scholarly literature published in electronic form—more than 10,000 e-journals and 28,000 e-books—and ensures that these materials remains accessible to future scholars, researchers, and students.

Our Services

Page 3: Sustainability Myths

Five areas of study

•Role of the Library

•University Publishing

•Teaching and Learning

•Practices and Attitudes

•Sustainability of Digital Resources

Page 4: Sustainability Myths

When we think about “sustainability”…

We are concerned with the long-term viability of digital resources, so that they continue to provide value to those who use them.

Specifically, our work has focused on the strategy and business planning needed to do this, rather than on issues of the specific technologies this may require.

We realize that not every digital resource requires an elaborate sustainability plan. The needs of a single journal article, for example, will be different than those of a complex database.

Page 5: Sustainability Myths

Sustainability is…

….the ability to generate or gain access to the resources—financial or otherwise—needed to protect and increase the value of the content or service for those who use it.

For those digital resources that will requireongoing support…

Page 7: Sustainability Myths

Ithaka S+R Case Studies in Sustainability (2009)

• 12 digital resources in the UK and abroad

• Projects based in academia and cultural heritage organisations

• Interviews with project leaders on their strategies for engaging users, forging partnerships, and generating revenues

• Thumbnails of financial data• Work commissioned by the JISC-

led Strategic Content Alliance, with assistance from NEH and NSF

Page 8: Sustainability Myths

Budget Snapshots

Costs

RevenuesBudgeted versus Unbudgeted Costs

Page 9: Sustainability Myths

What steps were strong projects taking?

Empower leadership to define the mission and take action

Create a strong value proposition

Creatively manage costs

Establish realistic goals and a system of accountability

Cultivate diverse sources of revenue

Page 10: Sustainability Myths

Why did we decide to go back now?

• Just as we were finishing our research, financial crisis struck (fall 2008)

• Since then, the landscape for funding in higher education and cultural heritage has changed quickly– In the US, budget cuts for NEH ($22mil), IMLS ($20mil);

NSDL program at NSF ($16.5mil)– In the UK, deep cuts to HE sector; quangos closed; funding

reduced– Political upheaval: One case study in Egypt

• We wanted to see how the models had held up, and where weaknesses might be starting to show

Page 11: Sustainability Myths

To update the case studies we:

• Re-interviewed the principal investigators at each project

• Asked what has changed in the past two years

• Followed up on initiatives that were in early stages in 2008

• Revisited our hypotheses about what actions are most important in order to develop projects that are built to last.

Page 12: Sustainability Myths

How are the projects faring today?

• Many projects have faced severe budget cuts• Revenue models underperforming• A project based on partnership, at risk when partner

is at risk• An endowment model, not hitting targets• Low cost labor model (Cairo), at risk due to political

upheaval• …as well as some bright spots

Page 13: Sustainability Myths

• Zeroing in on core value, and shedding the rest. – Southampton’s decision to

focus efforts on fine digitization and sell off high speed scanner

• Renaming to better communicate its function with audience– From BOPCRIS to Library

Digitisation Centre

Creative a strong value proposition … by paying close attention to users and making tough choices

Page 14: Sustainability Myths

• Continuing to add new content and implement interface changes– eBird (and INA) Partnering

with a third-party mobile app developer; developer bears start-up costs and project takes revenue share

• Simply staying operational is not the goal– ‘We try to plan for one big

innovation per year’

Creatively managing costs …and investing in ‘affordable innovation’.

Page 15: Sustainability Myths

• As library budgets decline, finding alternate channels for revenue from audiences that value the resource– Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy: Started individual membership model, providing Kindle- and iPad-ready formatted PDFs of entries

• Seeking to reach users in new parts of the world– DigiZeitschriften: in Asia,

Israel, and elsewhere

Cultivating diverse sources of revenue

…even when the landscape is challenging.

Page 16: Sustainability Myths

• Outreach activities seen as mission-critical, both to external and internal stakeholders– Electronic Enlightenment:

‘Road show’ campaign to engage with more users

– Other projects communicating with administrators, continuing to serve on funding agency review panels, and other means of staying in touch with the community.

Establishing goals and accountability

…and communicating those goals to administrators and funders.

Page 17: Sustainability Myths

Overall, what strategies seem most important?

• Host support is more important than ever• Creative and diversified revenue strategies• Strong value proposition

– Based on an understanding of user needs– Aligning costs with value proposition– Communicating this to stakeholders

Page 18: Sustainability Myths

6 MYTHS OF SUSTAINABILITY

Myths?Assumptions?

Wishful thinking?…or true?

Page 19: Sustainability Myths

Myth #1: “This project will be inexpensive to sustain…

Where we’ve heard this• Digitization projects• Community-contributed

projects• Institutional repositories

What we’re seeing• Costs for ongoing care are

often not considered early enough in project planning

• Cost stressors for libraries supporting IRs

…so it doesn’t need a sustainability plan.”

Page 20: Sustainability Myths

Define GOALS

Build plan to secure needed REVENUE

Determine needed RESOURCE

Identify ACTIVITIES

But some basic steps are well within reach for any project

Page 21: Sustainability Myths

Myth #2: “Not disappearing” = sustainability

Where we’ve heard this• Funder language that sets

too low a bar• Projects that emphasize

simply longevity over longterm impact

What we’re seeing• Projects that may be

“findable” online, but are not being updated, and are quickly falling out of use.

• The recent case of Transcribe Bentham

Page 22: Sustainability Myths

“I don’t envisage Transcribe Bentham ever disappearing from the Web… It’s the backup we can give it which is in danger of disappearing toward the end of the year—that active involvement and relationship with users which the research staff has built up.”

--Philip Schofied, Director“Facing Budget Woes, Prominent Crowdsourcing

Project Will Scale Back,” Chronicle of Higher Education, March 11, 2011

Page 23: Sustainability Myths

Myth #3: Deposit = sustainability

Where we’ve heard this• Closed ended projects• Research projects• Funders

What we’re seeing• Low deposit compliance

rates• Shuttered services (AHDS)• Recent news about the

sunsetting of the National Science Foundation’s NSDL program (and funding for its platform via Technical Network Services)

Page 24: Sustainability Myths

Myth #4: “The host institution will take care of it”

Where we’ve heard this• This is often the default

sustainability plan for digital resource projects

• Funders, too, rely heavily on the ongoing largesse of host institutions

What we’re seeing• This is often the case today,

but with universities under increasing budget pressure, will it hold?

• How can project leaders express their value to the host?

Page 25: Sustainability Myths

Myth #5: “Outreach is a luxury we cannot affordwhen budgets are tight”

Where we’ve heard this• Funders cutting spend on

communications activities• Some projects with small

staff or budget cuts

What we’re seeing• Electronic Enlightenment’s

‘road show’ effort and press marketing partnership

• SEP and other outreach efforts

Page 26: Sustainability Myths

Myth #6: “My core audience would be horrifiedif we charged anything”

Where we’ve heard this• Museums, libraries and

archives with long-standing public access or preservation missions

• Organisations providing digital content for K-12 teaching

• Resources that depend on volunteers for contributed content

What we’re seeing• INA’s freemium model• Brainpop and other online

teaching resources that target teacher materials budgets

• SEP’s individual membership model

Page 27: Sustainability Myths

Some concluding thoughts

There is no one “right” sustainability model. Projects often experiment to find what will work best and devise hybrid models.

Taking a good look at what ongoing activities and costs will be is a good first step in sustainability planning.

Creating value for users and other stakeholders is vital, regardless of the specific revenue models in place.

Many projects rely heavily on host support, but it is not clear that these arrangements are formal or reliable.

Making the switch from a “research project” to an “operational resource” is one of the most difficult but important challenges projects face.

Page 28: Sustainability Myths