Sustainability Myths
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Transcript of Sustainability Myths
Sustainability Myths:Updates to the Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability
Nancy MaronIthaka S+R
March 18, 2011
• 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
Five areas of study
•Role of the Library
•University Publishing
•Teaching and Learning
•Practices and Attitudes
•Sustainability of Digital Resources
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.
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…
A multi-year, international approach
A survey of revenue models and ‘mindsets’…Sustainability and Revenue Models for Online Academic Resources (2008)
…followed by 12 case studies and a summary report.Sustaining Digital Resources: An On-the-Ground View of Projects Today (2009)
With funding from JISC/SCA, NEH and NSF.With funding from JISC and the Strategic Content Alliance
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
Budget Snapshots
Costs
RevenuesBudgeted versus Unbudgeted Costs
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
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
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.
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
• 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
• 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’.
• 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.
• 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.
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
6 MYTHS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Myths?Assumptions?
Wishful thinking?…or true?
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.”
Define GOALS
Build plan to secure needed REVENUE
Determine needed RESOURCE
Identify ACTIVITIES
But some basic steps are well within reach for any project
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
“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
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)
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?
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
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
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.