July 2011

The Digital Projects and Skills Form was intended to identify the digital skills that are used or desired across the Libraries, as well as to identify the various digital projects in which work areas are engaged or in which they would like to be engaged, with the goal of informing resource allocation and staff training decisions. This form does not provide an analysis of any individual’s proficiency in digital skills. Rather, the information collected through this form articulates the range of digital skills and projects that the Libraries are or would like to be involved and the basis for which to conduct further exploration of the Libraries’ digital competencies and activities.

The form was sent 25 people, primarily heads of divisions or department heads, and working group chairs. Three people did not complete the form; 2 people completed the form twice for different work areas; 7 work areas had responses from more than one person. A total of 24 forms were collected, representing 16 work areas:

Recipients were asked to report on digital skills and projects in their work area. Response highlights include:

• Web authoring skills, specifically HTML and CSS, are the most commonly used set of skills across the Libraries’ work areas; programming skills are far less common and concentrated in four work areas.
• Half of the work areas report using XML, Controlled Vocabularies, and Dublin Core for library work; METS, MODS, and VRA Core are almost exclusively used by the work areas that deal with unique digital collections.
• As a whole, database skills are the most commonly reported skills that are not native to work areas and have been provided by other work areas, in some cases by external entities. These skills are also the most commonly reported as being needed pursue projects.
• In addition to web authoring skills, digitization/scanning, image manipulation, and CMS administration are the most commonly used digital project skills across the Libraries. IP and licensing are reported as used by half of the work areas.
• Twelve of 16 work areas report current and/or ongoing digital projects; 9 of these have direct bearing on digital collections in some way. Thirteen of 16 work areas identify potential digital projects; 9 of these have direct bearing on digital collections in some way. There is a uniform interest in having both a larger workforce and a larger pool of skills. Twelve of 16 work areas report needing more people; 13 report needing more skills.