Pamphlet Packaging of the Pathways Benchmarking Surver
On Friday 1 July, 2014 the Future Pathways benchmarking survey was mailed to more than 150 collecting institutions throughout Australia and the world. The recipients are invited to participate in a comparison of collection management, preservation transfer (digitisation) processes, technical standards and access to collections.
Invitees include the Australian National and State Libraries, Museums and Galleries together with leading international organisations such as the Vatican Library and Archive, the Smithsonian Institute in the USA, and a selection of specialist collecting bodies such as The Archive of Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA) and the World Music Archives at the Wesleyan University.
Through the project, AIATSIS is working to determine:
Comparisons between respective acquisition, management, access, publication, preservation, collections ICT and digitisation process;
details of respective collection sizes, digitisation progress, technical standards and workflows;
comparisons of curatorial and metadata workflows and processes;
comparative cost assessment of preservation/digitization per collection item;
relative staffing compared to task assignments and responsibilities;
relative approaches to the establishment of a Digital Asset Management System, particularly the methods of identification, selection and implementation;
areas of infrastructure commonality;
opportunities for collaboration between agencies through shared services or innovative projects;
opportunities for knowledge transfer and skills development;
details of public access and collection visibility including mechanisms for public engagement; and
estimates of the holdings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural items around the world.
The survey was constructed entirely in-house and is delivered as a self-contained application on a USB key. Also included is a CD which holds more information about AIATSIS and its collection.
At the end of the survey AIATSIS will provide all participants with a copy of both the resulting survey report and the raw data.
We believe this is a first for a benchmarking exercise of this scope and we are excited about the anticipated results and the benefits that will ensue for everyone who participates.
For more information please contact benchmarking@aiatsis.gov.au.
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