|
*dear all,
*
**
please find below FYI or action an HLF tender on digital policy . Timely!
For consultants: the deadline is looming!
best wishes,
Marcus
*
*
*
*
*Apologies for cross posting *
Dear colleague
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was set up in 1994 under the National
Lottery Act and distributes money raised by the National Lottery to support
projects involving the national, regional and local heritage of the United
Kingdom.
Attached to this e-mail is a brief to tender for a piece of research work to
be undertaken on behalf of HLF. We want to review our current policies
towards digital material and digital technology in order to assess whether
we need to make any changes to current policy guidelines across all or some
of the areas of heritage.
The deadline for returning proposals to tender for this work is Monday 25
January 2010. If you have any queries that cannot be answered in the brief
please contact me (details below) I do hope you will be interested in this
piece of work and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Fiona Talbott
Fiona Talbott
Head of Museums, Libraries and Archives
Heritage Lottery Fund
7 Holbein Place
London SW1W 8NR
Direct Line: 020 7591 6008
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: www.hlf.org.uk
- *Mapping the use of digital technologies in the heritage sector *
- *1. Overview*
-
1. HLF was set up in 1994 under the National Lottery Act and distributes
money raised by the National Lottery to support projects involving the
national, regional and local heritage of the United Kingdom.
We operate
under the auspices of the National Heritage Memorial Fund
(NHMF). We are now
operating under our third strategic plan, ‘Valuing our
heritage: Investing
in our future”.
1. Through our grant making we aim to:
- conserve the UK’s diverse heritage for present and future
generations to experience and enjoy;
- help more people, and a wider range of people, to take an active
part in and make decisions about their heritage;
- help people to learn about their own and other people’s heritage.
The areas of heritage that we cover are:
- People’s memories and experiences (often recorded as ‘oral history’
or spoken history);
- Histories of people and communities (including people who have
migrated to the UK);
- Languages and dialects;
- Cultural traditions such as stories, festivals, crafts, music, dance
and costumes;
- Histories of places and events;
- Historic buildings and streets;
- Archaeological sites;
- Collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or
archives;
- Natural and designed landscapes and gardens;
- Wildlife, including special habitats and species; and
- Places and objects linked to our industrial, maritime and transport
history.
1.3 The Heritage Lottery Fund is looking at our current approaches and
policy on the use of digital material across the heritage
sector. This will
help inform us of any potential need to revise our policy on
what we fund.
It will also highlight to us where heritage practitioners see the use of
digital technology and material in future in terms of better
engagement with
users and non-users.
At present HLF policy on digital material in our guidance states:
*We will only fund certain types of work if they form part of a wider
project that meets our aims. We cannot fund them as stand-alone projects.
These include: creating digital materials (for example, websites, DVDs or
virtual reality).*
*For projects involving creating or using intellectual property (for
example creating a database, digital images or audio or other multimedia
applications) we expect you to get all permissions, waivers and licences
from any other person or organisation who may be entitled to any
intellectual property rights which either exist or will be
created to allow
you to carry out and complete the project in line with your application.
*
*We can support cataloguing, digitisation and retro- conversion
activities where they form part of a wider project that will provide
additional activities to help more people access and learn from the
material. We will not support projects whose sole aim is to carry out
cataloguing, digitisation or retro-conversion.*
*How will you preserve digital material? *
*You should consider how you can help to ensure that any digital
material you produce is maintained over the long term so it is still
accessible. This is a complex area but you need to be aware that digital
material can have a short shelf-life and can become inaccessible in a
relatively short space of time. Digital material can corrupt but
it is even
more likely that newer technologies will replace both equipment and
software. As a minimum you need to create a high quality ‘master’ from
which other versions of your digital material (for example
images you might
make available over the Internet) can be made. This digital
master should be
stored independently and you should seek specialist advice about
how to make
sure it remains accessible.*
1. We are aware that our policy and guidance was formulated at a
time when digital material and digitisation were less well
developed across
heritage. We want to ascertain an overview of digital practice in the
heritage as determined by practitioners to understand how our
current policy
areas sit with what is actually happening in the sector and
whether we need
to consider any changes or update to policy
1. * Aims and Objectives*
Digital technology is changing the expectations and experiences of
users of heritage. With the onset of Web 2.0 there are new
opportunities to
view, edit and interact with digital content. There is also an increasing
expectation that content will be free at the point of access, and will be
available to adapt and share. This is likely to have implications for how
and where people access and experience heritage. At the Heritage Lottery
Find we want to get an overview of what practitioners’
experience is of the
changes that digital material and technology have brought and from their
perspective what the public wants and expects.
The areas we wish to explore are:
- *How digital technology is influencing heritage practice in the
field of public engagement with heritage*
- *What the public's expectations are of heritage institutions of
service provision in relation to digital technology *
- *Implications for heritage organisations in terms of digital content
creation *
- *Possible implications for HLF grant giving from the above three
areas.*
The study excludes the use of digital technology in heritage
organisations for activity which is outside the scope of HLF funding e.g.
- Meeting any legal obligations
- an organisation’s own current records management
- statutory responsibilities such as processing planning
applications
*At present digital material and /or technology is used across the
heritage sector in a variety of ways:*
*Natural heritage and designed landscapes *
- The National Biodiversity Network is a partnership that was
established to set common standards for data management and use
across the
UK. Biological data is usually held by local
Environmental/Biological Record
Centres.
- Widespread use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to record
spatial data and use mapping functions for example the distribution and
management of green space, the location of Sites of Special Scientific
Interest and their supporting meta data. Point data is used to show
distribution and trends in biological data. Layering data spatially and
using the information as a basis for planning or predicting patterns,
designations, constraints or opportunities.
- Targeted digitisation of historical records is used in restoring or
expanding habitats in the appropriate landscape.
- Growing trend of creating digital records directly with handheld and
computer devices. The software on these devices is interactive and is
beginning to replace some of the traditional field guides and biological
keys - aiding identification as well as making the record.
- Interactive digital displays and online facilities are also becoming
common-place for the environmental sector
Museums & Galleries
- Interpretation in museums and galleries is increasingly being
influenced by digital technology e.g. computer-based interactives, audio
guides, guides and interactives on PDAs and GPS-based applications which
can deliver information based on the visitors location on the site
- Use of websites to download pre-visit information, provide in-depth
information on collections
- Blogs and social networking sites on which visitors can post their
own content including comments about exhibitions, their own
interpretation
of objects and share their images and videos following visits
- Computer based virtual reality tours provide access to areas of
buildings and museums and the objects in those areas which are
inaccessible
to people with mobility impairments.
*Archives & Libraries*
- *Archives and Record Offices have transferred material from the
original paper based or analogue state to digital material. *
- *Digitisation of material can act as a method of preservation
through provision of digital surrogates and also provide access to wider
audiences through availability of material as digital content.*
- *Born digital material is becoming more common. *
- *Using already * digitised material to involve people in their own
content creation by adding new material, or producing their own resources
such as oral history, film or blogs
- Creating virtual resources can be through shared topics in a single
web site, or search engines that link up resources held in more than one
location. This is useful in partnership projects where
collecting activity
by one partner then benefits all the others through shared web sites or
portals
- *Along with all other heritage areas the use of websites is
widespread. Many smaller and community projects use websites as their
vehicle for accessing digital material. A major issue is the
sustainability
and longevity of these websites. *
*Historic environment*
- Government planning policy (PPGs 15 and 16) require records to be
made of the historic environment – notably historic buildings,
archaeological sites and landscapes - where they are susceptible to loss,
damage or alteration through the planning process. Increasingly
this primary
information is being captured by the use of digital technology,
whether in
the form of digital photographs, CAD drawings, scanned images, word
processor documents or databases.
- On-line resources, such as the Archaeology Data Service (*
www.ads.ahds.ac.uk* <http://www.ads.ahds.ac.uk/>) provide guidance and
advice as well as offering a service to hold, make accessible
and preserve
digital data in the long-term.
- *3 Methodology*
3.1 The UK heritage sector is very broad in terms of scope and vast
in terms of numbers of institutions, which is why we are
looking to get an
overview of the situation rather than a detailed position.
We have outlined
above the main areas in which digital technology is used.
Using this as a
starting point we need a review of the views of lead agencies
throughout the
UK and some key stakeholder organisations as to the extent that
organisations are using digital material and technology in
that way and any
other ways we have not identified.
3.2 Your research will be a mix of desk research and telephone
interviews with heritage bodies across the UK. We want a review of any
relevant research on use of digital material in heritage
produced since
2006. Telephone surveys will be used to determine how
heritage practitioners
view the situation now and ascertain how their heritage
practice has changed
and will change with increased awareness and expectation in
the digital
world.
3.3 We want you to examine how practitioners view using digital
material and technology in their organisations through a
telephone survey.
The interviews would need to have a representative selection
of the heritage
sector as well as representation across our regions and
countries to reflect
our UK wide remit.
3.4 As part of the research you will provide HLF with a list (for
approval) of lead agencies, key stakeholder organisations and key
practitioners across the UK.
1. We would expect you to consider our three strategic aims (see
1.2 above) when considering any changes for HLF policy or practice
3.6 From practitioners’ views the research in this area will look
in particular at the following key research questions:
- Who currently engages with ‘digital heritage content’?
- What is the level and nature of this engagement and how is it
changing?
- What is the nature of the digital heritage experience?
- How do people value the experience?
- What constitutes a ‘quality’ experience?
*How digital technology is transforming heritage practice*
- How is digital technology changing heritage practice and
organisations?
- Is heritage practice changing to accommodate those that
operate primarily with digital material
- What is the relationship between digital technology,
excellence and innovation in heritage practice?
- Does heritage practice shape digital technologies?
3.7 Although we have stipulated the areas that we wish the
successful consultant to explore through this research we are
open to the
suggestions of any other areas that you may wish to suggest
as areas for our
consideration.
-
- *4 Research management*
1. The work includes desk research on published research around
digital material and technology, all survey work
including design of the
questionnaire, any required piloting and full telephone
surveying. We expect
the desk research and telephone surveys to begin in
February 2010. A draft
report is required by 31 March 2010 for HLF comment and
a final report is
required by 30 April 2010.
1. All reports to be produced in Microsoft office format and
supplied in both hard copy and electronic format.
Spreadsheet models used in
the research should be provided, with results, in
Excel. The structure of
the report should include a description of methodology,
result from desk
research and focus groups along with any potential
recommendations for areas
of policy change for HLF. The report should be
accompanied by an executive
summary. Any potential case studies should be
identified with contact
details.
1. The research will be managed on a day to day basis for HLF by
Fiona Talbott, Head of Museums, Archives and Libraries.
You will be expected
to attend a start-up meeting, and, depending on
logistics, meet with or have
regular contact with Fiona Talbott throughput the
project. Our aim is to
ensure that the project lead can support your work with
HLF knowledge.
-
- *5 Outputs *
1. The following outputs will be required: -
An agreed final written report supplied to HLF by 30 April
2010. This will include a complete analysis of findings,
potential case
studies, with any appendices as agreed between HLF and the
consultant. The
contents structure of the report to be agreed in advance
of writing.
A set of research data, qualitative and quantitative data from
the fieldwork and focus groups to be stored in a readily accessible
electronic format.
All reports to be supplied in both hard copy and electronic
format.
1. The outputs of this research will be a report with
appendices as agreed between HLF and the contractor,
plus an electronic
version by CD or e-mail in pdf format.
1. In the final report consultants should ensure that:
- Font size of the font used is at least 11pt
- There is a strong contrast between the background colour and
the colour of the text. Black text on a white background
provides the best
contrast. This also applies to any shading used in tables
and/or diagrams.
- Italics are not used, except when quoting book titles for
citations, items on the reference list should be arranged
alphabetically by
author.
- Colour formatting and use of photos should be of a resolution
size that is easily printable and does not compromise the
printability of
the document.
For further guidance on ensuring readability of printed
materials, please refer to the RNIB Clear Print guidelines.
These can be
found on *www.rnib.org.uk*
Any additional information, separate to the report e.g.
proformas and transcripts, should be supplied so that they
can be printed as
stand alone documents. They must be fully referenced to
the piece of work
you are submitting, dated, formatted and numbered appropriately.
All reports should acknowledge HLF and we will supply our logo
1. The results will be confidential to HLF. HLF may prepare or
commission summary reports and other materials for
subsequent wider
distribution, based on the results.
*6 Procurement*
6.1 The proposal for undertaking the work should include:-
- a detailed methodology for undertaking the study;
- an overall cost for the work;
- details of staff allocated to the project, together with
experience of the contractor and staff members in
carrying out similar
projects. The project manager / lead contact should be
identified
- the daily charging rate of individual staff involved;
- a timescale for carrying out the project.
1. The anticipated budget for this research is £10,000 to include
all expenses and VAT.
1. HLF reserves the right not to appoint and to achieve the
outcomes of the evaluation through other methods.
1. The procurement timetable will be:
- Completed proposal to be returned to HLF by Monday 25 January
2010
- Possible short listing interviews (if required) on Thursday
28 January 2010
- Confirmation of award of contract by Friday 29 January 2010
- Contracted work to be completed by 30 April 2010
1. Proposals can be sent to the following address or e-mailed: -
Fiona Talbott
Head of Museums, Libraries and Archives
The Heritage Lottery Fund
7 Holbein Place
London, SW1W 8NR
*[log in to unmask]* <[log in to unmask]>
1. We have invited a number of consultants to outline how they
would undertake this work within the context of the
requirements laid out
above in the methodology section. We will be looking
for the proposal that
best fits our needs and will include:
- an understanding of the issues
- a realistic timeframe and ability to meet the specified
deadlines
- outline of how you will undertake the work
- outline of how you will incorporate our monitoring information
with the qualitative data you collect
- who will undertake the work and their expertise
- realistic identification of risks and the proposals for
minimising these and dealing with any problems.
- examples of similar work undertaken
1. The contract will be let by the National Heritage Memorial Fund
(NHMF)/Heritage Lottery Fund under HLF terms and
conditions, a sample
version of this contract is attached (Appendix 3) so
that the consultant is
aware of the conditions before preparing the tender.
6.8 See HLF website at
*www.hlf.org.uk*<http://www.hlf.org.uk/>for further information about
the organisation.
****************************************************************
For mcg information visit the mcg website at
http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
To manage your subscription to this email list visit
http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
****************************************************************
|
