As organisational budgets tighten and economic uncertainty threatens, many digital projects struggle to develop coping strategies when the funding to support core operations and/or essential development is not forthcoming.
The publications below illustrate the varied and creative ways in which leaders of digital initiatives, particularly those developed in the higher education and cultural heritage sectors, are managing to identify sources of support and generate revenue.
Work on business models and sustainability has been undertaken for the Strategic Content Alliance by Ithaka, New York, and Intelligent TV, New York.
Sustaining Digital Resources: An On-the-ground View of Projects Today (June 2009)
Ithaka S+R has completed a multi-year investigation of innovative funding models to sustain digital projects, culminating in a summary paper and twelve detailed case studies.
Ithaka briefing papers
Sustaining Digital Resources: A Briefing Paper for Curators, Archivists, and Librarians
Sustaining Digital Resources: A Briefing Paper for University Librarians
Sustaining Digital Resources: A Briefing Paper for Digital Project Managers
Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability project (November 2009)
Executive summary:
Executive summary: Sustaining Digital Resources: An On-the-ground View of Projects Today
Full report with case studies:
Report with case studies: Sustaining Digital Resources: An On-the-ground View of Projects Today
Full report with case studies and a preface for funders:
Full report without case studies:
Report: Sustaining Digital Resources: An On-the-ground View of Projects Today
Low res version: Report: Sustaining Digital Resources: An On-the-ground View of Projects Today
Full report with a preface for funders and without case studies:
Individual case studies:
Image licensing at a cultural heritage institution: V&A Images
Specialised historical content for a niche audience: The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae
Building an endowment with community support: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Subscription-based resource sold through a university press: The Electronic Enlightenment
Library partnership and a subscription model for a journal database: DigiZeitschriften
The open access contributor pays model: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Free content and rights licensing as complementary strategies: L’Institut national de l’audiovisuel
Digitisation with commercial partnerships: The National Archives
Early sustainability planning for a grant-funded digital library: National Science Digital Library
Sustainability and Revenue models for Online Academic resources (May 2008)
Ithaka S+R aims in this report to gain a more systematic understanding as well as undertaking a ‘horizon-scan’ of the mechanisms for pursuing sustainability in not-for-profit projects.
Ithaka report on Sustainability and Revenue Models for Online Academic Resources (May 2008)
On Building a New Market for Culture: Virtue and necessity in a screen-based economy (Intelligent TV, June 2009)
A report that investigates new business opportunities to support commercial and educational institutions putting their digital content online.
On Building a New Market for Culture: Virtue and necessity in a screen-based economy (Intelligent TV, June 2009)