116 · SPEC Kit 294
University of Connecticut
Guidelines for Submitting Progress Reports on Digital Collections
Projects at the University of Connecticut Libraries
Drafted by Heidi N. Abbey, Digital Collections Librarian Revised
Introduction and Purpose
Progress reports on digital collections projects are instrumental in measuring the success of the Libraries’
digital initiatives to date. They also serve as a practical exercise for digital project managers, consolidating
critical information about a given project that can subsequently enable and encourage the effective
exchange of good practice among library staff. According to the “Lund Principles” of benchmarking
digitization policies (Lund, Sweden, 4 April 2001), there are a number of key themes that can be identified
and used as indicators of good practice, including the following:
1. Management (objectives, milestones, workplan, timetable, implementation plan, meetings)
2. Human Resources (staff resources used, skills identified and/or acquired via training)
3. Funding (public/private investments in digitization strategies for attracting private funding costs
for digitization and long-term maintenance)
4. Productivity (intellectual property rights investigated and copyright secured, licensing agreements
drafted and approved, partnership documents created and approved, conversion, metadata created,
volume of digitized content, website design and development automated and manual feedback
mechanisms created)
5. Impact (usability, improvements in access to materials, preservation of original objects,
encouragement of Internet use, marketing and promotion of digital resources)
6. Priorities (criteria needed to direct resources towards digitizing materials) and
7. Technical Aspects (information architecture created or licensed, identification and/or use of
appropriate technologies to suit digitization).
The seven themes listed above and questions listed below should be considered as starting points for
digital project managers when thinking about and compiling monthly progress reports. Digital project
managers should address the seven broad themes and are encouraged to include both qualitative
(subjective) and quantitative (objective) data in the reports whenever possible and appropriate.
Suggested Contents for Progress Reports
1. Management
What objectives did you have for a given month? Quarter? Year? Did you achieve them? If yes,
please elaborate. If no, why not?
What milestones did you reach?
Did you create any new workplans? Timetables? Implementation plans?
What meetings did you attend? How many? Were they effective forms for communication?
2. Human Resources
How much of your time (in hours, days, or %of total work time) did you devote to working on
your digital collections project?
How much time (in hours, days, or %of total work time) did other project collaborators (please
specify the individual) devote to working on your digital collections project?
Previous Page Next Page