Digital Content Life Cycle Management Task Force:
Strategy for Digital Content Reformatting, Preservation, Management and Access
The Library is already deeply engaged in digital content creation, and it needs to determine
the most effective way to create, organize, manage, deliver and sustain access to this
content. The Digital Content Life Cycle Management Task Force (DCLCTF) is charged with
identifying the needs, the stakeholders and their responsibilities, and one or more models for how
the work should be organized at Illinois. The recommendation should include a discussion of
organizational, staff, and system/technological requirements.
We ask the team to address the following organizational and operating points:
- Articulate the principles and methods that are critical to effective digital content life cycle
management, including selection, digitization, metadata creation, quality review, management and
access, and long-term archiving.
- Define the digitization needs and priorities for all types of content, Google, non-Google, OCA,
Special Collections, large format, newspaper, media, and other formats. Recommend a viable model or
combination of models for funding non-Google digitization-grants, non-recurring funding, and/or
annually budgeted funds.
- Define an effective organization and management structure to support the life cycle of digital
content creation, access and management, and sustained availability. What are the leadership roles
that are critical to the digital content life cycle, and how do they relate to the current
functional areas of the Library? What are the staffing needs required to support and sustain
the digital content life cycle?
- Articulate central roles (where pertinent) that each of the areas below provides in support of
the digital content life cycle. Describe the necessary interactions between and among these
areas. Identify any functions that are missing.
- Digital Content Creation
- Content Access and Management (CAM)
- Digital Services and Development (DSD)
- Preservation
- IDEALS
- Recommend any organizational changes to these units or to the relationships among them that
would improve the digital content life cycle management process
Each library's operational structure reflects its community emphases and its resident
strengths. In developing its plan, the Team should utilize peer library comparisons, and
assume that there will continue to be a decentralized component to this work. The DLF's
recently developed Service Framework for Libraries serves as a useful framework that the Team is
urged to consider using as it examines the context and the organizational structure for this
overarching set of functions .
An action plan with recommendations to the University Librarian is expected by May 1,
2008
Team Members:
- Michael Norman (chair)
- Tim Cole
- JoAnn Jacoby
- Betsy Kruger
- Chris Prom
- Sarah Shreeves
- Tom Teper
- Beth Sandore
Approved by Executive Committee 3/13/2008
