RESEARCH: DIGITAL CAPABILITY IN THE AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND GLAM SECTOR 2021
CONTENTS
In 2021 NDF conducted a research project on Digital Capability in the Aotearoa New Zealand GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) sector. The research was funded by the Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage Te Tahua Whakakaha | Cultural Sector Capability scheme and aimed to better understand the challenges and needs of the people working in digital roles.
The research consisted of three main phases: to gather data and generate insights, an online survey, person-to-person interviews, and analysis.
A peer-reviewed online survey was carried out in October - November 2021. The survey received 308 anonymous responses. This provided the quantitative data referenced in this report.
Person to person, open-ended interviews were conducted with 11 interview subjects. Interviewees were recruited from the pool of survey respondents and approached directly with the aim to achieve representation of respondents from diverse geographic locations, roles, and organisation types.
The raw online survey data is available for download upon request. Please contact research@ndf.org.nz
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Assess the current state of digital capability of the GLAM sector.
Understand capability gaps and their possible root cause.
Identify effective opportunities to address digital capability deficits.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The sector needs to find ways to make resources, expertise, and collaborative means of working available to our small cultural organisations to enable them to make the necessary digital transformation without having to divert their own limited resources.
The sector needs to undertake more long-term, strategic planning that sets up pathways to digital transformation, and results in sustainable digital products and services.
Cultural leaders need to improve their digital fluency and build digital mindsets.
Past investment in digitisation capability and practice has resulted in a high level of confidence and skill in this field. Support is now required to keep up with emerging technologies and best practice in this field.
The sector needs to place more value on digital skills and prioritise investment in workforce digital capability learning and development.
The sector needs to address the lack of capability and confidence for a wide range of issues at the interface of digital practice and Mātauranga Māori.
The sector needs to support the development of skills and practice that enables more accessible, inclusive digital products and experiences.
ADDRESSING DIGITAL INEQUALITY
The sector needs to find ways to make resources, expertise, and collaborative means of working available to our small cultural organisations to enable them to make the necessary digital transformation without having to divert their own limited resources.
Our larger, better funded organisations have the resources and capacity to leverage their existing digital proficiency; to enable them to be more resilient in the face of uncertain economic environments. Through digital initiatives they are able to continue to reach online audiences, meet objectives and maintain relevance with their audience through periods of disruption.
Smaller, less resourced organisations are simply not in this position. Recently, as organisations have struggled to maintain business as usual, they have fallen further behind. These organisations do not have the capability and resources in house to progress from analogue ways of working, let alone embark on digital product development and provide the infrastructure required to support this.
Digital inequality is a compounding concern. Organisations without significant existing digital resourcing are getting left behind. Those that are simply trying to survive cannot thrive.
“It’s like a motorway, some people have Ferraris some people are still working out how to get on.”
NEED FOR LONG-TERM STRATEGIES
The GLAM sector needs to undertake more long-term strategic planning that invests in digital capability, sets up pathways to digital transformation, and results in sustainable digital products and services.
Interview subjects pointed to widespread lack of a long-term strategy that elevates digital capability both at an organisational level and sector wide.
Digital capability within an organisation is often tied to a specific project or individual. When the project is complete, a lack of ongoing funding can mean the organisation loses the digital resources and expertise.
Digital projects are often disjointed and not closely aligned to larger organisational outcomes. This may be exacerbated at a sector level by limited strategic sharing of knowledge and resources, and a lack of defined sector-wide goals.
“The lack of decision making or appreciation of [digital] capability and capacity means that we just do incremental things by default without really investing in the opportunities or possibilities that a more transformative approach could offer” - anonymous from survey
“It’s a sector-wide issue that you can fund a project, but can’t sustain ongoing output once funding ends.”
LEADERSHIP AS A BARRIER
Cultural leaders need to improve digital fluency and develop digital mindsets.
The speed of technological change is both a challenge and an opportunity for the GLAM sector. The research showed there is lack of confidence in GLAM leadership and governance bodies to adapt to this change quickly enough and to set priorities that enable sustainable digital practice.
Research suggests a deficit of strategic foresight and mutually aligned planning concerning technology extends beyond individual organisations to the sector as a whole, limiting the opportunity for transformative sector change.
Within organisations, the research showed a disconnect between the high value placed on digital skills to deploy and manage technology and the low support provided for workforce development in these areas.
At a sector level, funding and support is largely focused on distinct digital projects rather than investment in connected initiatives that result in a sustainable increase in digital capability.
These shortfalls are largely attributed to a lack of ‘digital fluency’ at a governance and leadership level. 46% of survey respondents are not confident in the digital skills and capability of their leadership.
Positioning organisations for long-term success requires adoption of technology and digital practice. A confident digital mindset must be evident from leadership and is at the heart of successful transformative change.
“Sometimes you can’t imagine what’s possible because you haven’t been exposed to it and you’re still thinking about faxes.”
RECOGNISING THE VALUE OF WORKFORCE DIGITAL CAPABILITY
The sector needs to place more value on digital skills and prioritise investment in digital learning and development.
There is a disparity within the sector between the perceived value of digital skills and the support provided to develop these skills.
After budget, organisations listed gaps in staff expertise as the second greatest limiting factor to improving organisational digital capability.
68% of survey respondents listed lack of time as the main barrier to improving their digital capability.
And less than half reported their organisation as providing good or excellent support in any of the specified training methods.
Staff see the need to upskill, but they often do so individually to accomplish a specific task or reactively, driven by their own interest rather than following strategic direction or a concerted programme.
People require more support and dedicated time and resources within their roles to improve their digital skills and increase organisational digital capability.
CONFIDENCE IN DIGITISATION AND OPEN COLLECTIONS
Confidence in digitisation is high overall. This reflects investment in this area over the past two decades by NDF, government and the wider sector.
Research showed that the discussion around ‘digital’ has changed over the years. Work carried out by the country’s larger institutions and organisations like NDF around elevating the professional GLAM community’s skill base in digitisation, data storage and copyright has had a positive impact. High confidence levels are reported across these areas.
Respondents are either confident or very confident in their organisation’s ability to digitise a collection (92%), safely store digital collection information (80%), or to make digital content accessible using open licensing (74%).
However, there are still gaps. 55% of respondents had “never heard of” a selection of internationally used digitisation standards and survey responses indicated a need for more information and support in this area. Confidence is generally low with tikanga Māori in relation to protocol, care and use of digitised indigenous collections. This is explored in greater detail in following sections.
CONFIDENCE GAP WITH MĀORI COLLECTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE
The sector needs to address the lack of capability and confidence for a wide range of issues at the interface of digital practice and Mātauranga Māori.
The research reveals critical gaps in knowledge and confidence in relation to mātauranga (Māori knowledge) at a time when digitisation and data sharing are becoming more common. An additional challenge is keeping up with the diversity and ongoing evolution of tikanga (protocols) as iwi and hapu build their own capability and share their perspectives — “every hapu is different”.
There is an urgent need for more research in this area, and more collaboration with and guidance from Māori to inform further recommendations.
50%
not confident in their organisation’s ability to appropriately store iwi-related digital collection information.
57%
unfamiliar with Waitangi Tribunal claim Wai 262 and its potential impact in regard to data sovereignty and storage.
60%
not confident around creating content with Māori knowledge and stories in a way that adheres to tikanga (protocols).
ADVOCATING ACCESSIBLE, INCLUSIVE & USER-LED DESIGN
The sector needs to support the development of skills and practice that enables more accessible and inclusive digital products and experiences.
Accessibility and inclusivity is essential for better digital products and experiences. To meet audience needs and expectations the sector needs to support staff to be familiar and proficient in the design methodology and frameworks in this field.
52% of survey respondents are not confident employing user centered design methods.
54% of survey respondents are not confident in their organisation’s ability to design accessible experiences.
50% of survey respondents are not confident in their organisation’s ability to design for diversity and inclusion in digital experiences.
Overall confidence incorporating digital experiences into exhibitions needs to improve with only 14% of respondents highly confident in this area
“We’ve taken the Victorian model of a museum as a ‘building you go to’ and the digital aspect of that is conversion of that analogue experience. We haven’t grasped the possibility of digital first responses to context and community needs. ”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR NDF
As an independent, national, not-for-profit organisation with a long history and established networks, NDF is uniquely positioned to develop initiatives that seek to address sector-scale, digital capability challenges and provide organisations and individuals with multiple options for skills development.
NDF has an opportunity to develop a national digital capability program, designed to bring about long-term transformative change to the GLAM sector by providing complementary top to bottom initiatives to increase digital skills and enable sustained improvement in organisations’ overall digital capability.
Specifically this program should:
Facilitate peer-to-peer, cross-sector knowledge exchange.
Support development pathways for staff, including emerging professionals.
Address current areas of particular skills and knowledge deficits with the digital GLAM field of work.
Develop our cultural leaders’ digital fluency, confidence and mindsets.
Help to reduce regional digital inequality across the sector.
Improve the diversity of digital culture practitioners and participants.
Provide ongoing means to measure the sector digital capability and effectiveness of these initiatives.
“NDF can deliver broad brush impact that no institution can achieve by themselves...NDF needs to clear the way for the next digital modes of impact”
KNOWN GAPS & BIASES
Bias towards existing NDF engagers
Survey respondents and interviewees are connected to NDF or its wider networks. This may mean a higher-than-average level of digital fluency / maturity compared to NDF non-engagers.
Skew towards libraries and museums
Survey respondents from libraries and museums made up 70% of total respondents (both at ~35%) over archives (~8%) and galleries (~2%).
Limited representation of Māori
Only 10% survey respondents and 1 out of 11 interviewees identified as Māori. While this is roughly equivalent with NZ’s demographic and that of the sector, additional research is needed.
CONCLUSION
The research shows action is required to lift digital capability and improve strategic planning to enable digital transformation across the GLAM sector. This support needs to be targeted at areas where it can deliver the greatest impact.
The research indicates that workforce training alone will not be enough to bring about transformative and sustainable change. Cultural leaders recognise the need for digital ways of working but need support to build digital mindsets and take practical steps to digital transformation. Increasing the digital capability of workforces requires support and planning from leadership.
Across the sector the need is greatest for our smaller and regional organisations who have less available funds, smaller capacity and a lack of support networks. Growing the digital capability of our regional and smaller organisations will require geographically broad initiatives, strong networks, and collaborative opportunities that enable larger cultural organisations to provide practical support.
This research provides valuable insights into the present state of the Aotearoa New Zealand GLAM sector but more research is recommended. The timing of the data gathering during Level 1 -3 of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the qualitative sample size and the diversity of the respondents was low.
This research should be seen as the beginning of an ongoing program of research into the digital capability of the Aotearoa New Zealand GLAM sector.
CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Conducted by:
Nils Pokel, Teina Herzer, Adam Moriarty, Lucie Paterson, Jim Fishwick, Nick Bowmast, and Grace Ryder.
This research was made possible thanks to funding from Manutu Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Capability Fund.
Thank you to our interviewees, reviewers and to all who responded to the survey.
Research conducted 2021. Findings published 11-10-2022
CITE THIS
Pokel, N., Herzer, T., Moriarty, A., Paterson, L., Fishwick, J., Bowmast, N., and Ryder, G. (2022). Digital Capability in the Aotearoa New Zealand GLAM sector 2021. New Zealand: National Digital Forum.