A deepening of training needs in digital curation Claudia Engelhardt Framing the digital curation curriculum Florence, 6-7 May 2013

A deepening of training needs in digital curation

Claudia Engelhardt

Framing the digital curation curriculumFlorence, 6-7 May 2013

1. DigCurV research on training needs:Basic information

2. Online-Survey on training needs3. Focus groups and analysis of job advertisements4. Summary

Overview

A deepening of training needs in digital curationFraming the digital curation curriculum, 6-7 May 2013, Florence




Aims:– Identify skills & competences necessary in digital

preservation & curation– Identify the need for training with regard to these

skills & competences

Purpose:– Inform DigCurV Curriculum Framework

Development

Lead: Göttingen State and University LibraryFebruary 2011 – January 2012

Review of sector training needs


Review of sector training needs

Research activities carried out:Online survey – July and August 2011, 454 responses

Focus groups– September-November 2011, 9 focus groups

Analysis of job advertisements– 48 advertisements, collected between

February 2011 and January 2012





Target audience:– staff members of cultural heritage organisations,

scientific and educational institutions

Conducted: 4th July – 26th August 2011

454 valid responses from 44 countries– Europe: 81% – North America: 14%– Others: 5%

Survey on training needs


Structure of the survey:

Basic information on organisation and respondent

Training plans and preferences

Skills and competences needed

Training needs

Survey on training needs


Type:– cultural heritage institutions (majority)

e.g. archives, libraries, museums– scientific & educational institutions (large proportion)

e.g. universities, research centres– Others (considerable proportion)

e.g. authorities, broadcasters, companies etc.

Size:– 45% small (1-100 FTEs)– 30% medium (101-500 FTEs)– 25% large (> 500 FTEs)

Survey respondents’ organisations


Role of respondents


Respondents involved in variety of tasks with regard to digital preservation and curation, e.g.

Management Hands-on tasksResearchTraining and education

Large majority of organisations (94%) storing digital materials for the long-term or planning to do so:

Yes already: 76%No, but plan to do so: 18%Neither storing nor planning to do so: 6%


Involvement in digital preservation


Digital preservation staff

Existing staff (N=325):–Mainly core funded and partly (63%) or exclusively

(31%) assigned to preservation/curation tasks – Some externally funded (12% exclusively, 10% partly)– No staff assigned to digital preservation tasks: 12%!

Plans to hire staff (N=335):– No: 57%– Yes, staff partly assigned to dp/dc: 31%– Yes, staff exclusively assigned to dp/dc: 17%

Considerable number of organisations planning digital preservation / curation training:– For inexperienced staff: 35%– For experienced staff: 31%

Not planning training:– 35%

Already providing training:– 26%


Training plans

Training methods considered most suitable:– Small group workshops: 75%– Blended learning: 39%


Training preferences

Which training methods for digital preservation/ curation do you consider the most suitable for your organisation? (up to two answers allowed) N=446

Training methods considered most suitable:– Small group workshops: 75%– Blended learning: 39%

Time frame considered most suitable:– One time event of 1-2 days: 55%– One time event of 3-5 days: 30%


Training preferences

Which time frame for training in digital preservation/ curation do you consider the most suitable for your organisation? (up to two answers allowed) N=443

Respondents were presented two lists, one each containing: – General tasks and skills– Digital preservation-specific and technical

tasks and skills

Importance of each task/skill in terms of the work of staff involved in digital preservation/curation assessed on four-stage scale:– essential – important – not important – non essential


Skills and competences

General skills

General skills assessed:Collaborating with othersCommunicating with othersAffinity for technologyManaging projectsTraining othersManaging budgetsLeading a department or teamOrganising conferences, workshops or other events


In terms of the work of staff involved in digital preservation/ curation, how important do you consider the following general skills?

Digital preservation-specific skills

Digital preservation-specific and general skills assessed:

Preservation planningEnsuring accessManaging dataEvaluating and selecting data for long-term preservationStoring dataIngesting dataResearch & development of a digital preservation

environmentAdministering the archive


In terms of the work of staff involved in digital preservation/ curation, how important do you consider the following digital preservation-specific and technical skills?

Respondents were again presented two lists, one each containing: – General skills and competences – Digital preservation-specific and technical

skills and competences

Need for training with regard to each task/skill assessed on four-stage scale:– great need – moderate need – hardly any need –

no need


Training needs

General skills and competences

General skills assessed:Liaising between customers and information technology expertsCommunicationProject ManagementNetworking with peopleTraining othersAdministration and finances


How would you assess the training needs of digital preservation staff in the following general skills ?

Digital preservation-specific and technical skills and competences

Digital preservation-specific and technical skills assessed:

General / basic knowledge of digital preservation issuesPreservation & data management planningPreservation toolsInformation modelling and metadataTrusted repositoriesStrategic planning and policiesTechnical systemsLegal aspects


How would you assess the training needs of digital preservation staff in the following digital preservation-specific and technical areas?

respondents were asked which areas they considered the training need to be most pressingindicated up to three areas

result: training needs most pressing for digital preservation-specific and technical skills


Most pressing training needs

In which of the following digital preservation-related fields is the need for training the most pressing? (up to three answers allowed) N=446




9 focus groups with stakeholders held in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and the UK in autumn 2011

Findings support survey results:severe lack of qualified stafflack of training offersblended learning and short term offers preferred


Focus groups

broad spectrum of skills needed including: – digital preservation/curation-specific skills– knowledge of subject domain as well as of library,

archival and information science– IT knowledge and technical expertise– social skills–management skills– knowledge of the organisation/institution

urgent need for training expressed, especially for technical and IT skills, but also others e.g. communication and management


Focus groups

48 advertisements for posts related to digital preservation/curation collected between February 2011 and January 2012results support survey and focus group resultsbroad spectrum of digital preservation-specific and technical as well as subject specific and generic skills needed


Analysis of job advertisements




strong input from the digital preservation/curation community, particularly of the cultural heritage, scientific and education sectors

Results indicate: severe lack of qualified staff in the fieldlack of appropriate training offerspreferred training methods: small group workshops and blended learningpreferred time frame: short term courses


Summary

skills and competences needed are manifold and comprise broad spectrum: – digital preservation/curation-specific skills– IT and technical skills– general skills (communication, management etc.)– knowledge of subject domain

great need for training indicated for both general and digital preservation-specific / technical skillsmost pressing needs expressed for the area of digital preservation-specific and technical skills


Summary

Thank you!

Do you have any questions?

Contact: Claudia EngelhardtGöttingen State and University [email protected]

The “DigCurV Report and analysis of the survey of Training Needs” is available on the DigCurV website:

http://www.digcur-education.org/eng/Resources

Documents

A deepening of training needs in digital curation Claudia Engelhardt Framing the digital curation curriculum Florence, 6-7 May 2013