The Museums, Libraries and Archives Sector has an important role to play in using digital technologies to deliver improved access to, and more opportunities for participation in, its rich diversity of resources and services.
Policy background
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) would like to see an increase in participation in culture, and has identified digital activity as a very important way of engaging new audiences
- Digital Britain sets a challenge to public services to drive uptake of digital media and for cultural institutions to provide attractive content that can get people online
- Martha Lane Fox, the government’s Digital Champion is driving a ‘race online for 2012’ campaign, to promote digital literacy to the 6 million not online who are most disadvantaged
- A national consortium of stakeholders, chaired by Ofcom, is developing a national plan for digital participation. MLA is represented on the consortium and making the case for a role for libraries
Objectives for digital activities
We have identified six high level objectives for digital activities in the sector. The objectives are to:
- Promote access to collections, resources and information
- Deepen participation and empower the public
- Inspire learning and share knowledge
- Develop collections care and management
- Improve efficiency
- Extend outreach, visibility and profile for the sector
These objectives should provide a framework for sector organisations to plan digital activities so that they maximise benefits for the public and their institution.