Scope statement

Rationale

A growing number of Dartmouth groups (both administrative and academic) are creating digital media assets of all types: Images, video, audio, and text. In addition, a rich collection of historic images, films, and documents are archived. These campus groups are experiencing an increased workload while producing, acquiring, and managing assets to serve ever-wider audiences.
Media Asset Management (MAM) is a mature industry that provides tools and technologies to help groups manage these assets, including the objects themselves, as well as metadata, rights, and usage. MAM enables organizations to search, find, reuse, and manage their media effectively.
Groups that have shifted to an interactive mode of digital media asset management can experience simpler workflows, savings in duplication costs, expanded workgroup productivity, and increased client satisfaction by incorporating a systematic reuse of pre-existing media assets.
Therefore, working with campus digital media creators to identify the best tools and techniques for digital media asset management can benefit current participants, as well as future partners in many ways.

Project description

This discovery project will analyze digital media creators’ needs, evaluate off-the-shelf asset management tools, recommend a workflow process that will integrate creation, acquisition, production, and distribution, and produce a final recommendation for implementation.

Objectives

Identify and consult with the campus digital media user group.
Complete needs assessment for media creators, publishers, and archivists.
Evaluate vendor tools in light of needs assessment.
Determine resources required (hardware, software, personnel) to implement and maintain the system.