On the Old Farm, cultural heritage infrastructure is siloed. Institutions individually control the digital management and sharing of their collections, using whichever tools suit their needs. Overseeing these activities is a digital regulatory body, which mandates a certain level of quality of public resource. The regulator’s standards must be met for institutions to be certified. To ensure the infrastructure is maintained after being put in place, inspections are carried out on a regular basis. In return, the regulator offers several benefits. Getting certification gives institutions access to ringfenced funds. The regulator’s technical staff provide skills training, which is particularly useful for smaller institutions who might lack the resources to employ a technician. Its close involvement with institutions helps the body identify and connect different silos who might learn from each other. Finally, certification means promotion on the regulating body’s website, which contains a list of properly managed infrastructure institutions. This list is also an indispensable resource for researchers seeking quality digital resources which are specialised according to the institutions and experts managing them.
Links
Infrastructure Futures for Digital Cultural Heritage (project page)