the key to success
Intregating new components, projects, attitudes - almost anything - into existing systems can be hard. Whether it’s adjusting to colleague turnover, introducing new technologies, or creating a whole new service within a well-established one. Lakegan Harris in his Digital Archive Proposal to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History hits the nail on the head:
[A] key piece of sustainability is to ensure that your digital archive is considered a LIBRARY (long-term) and not a PROJECT (short-term). It is very important that the digital archive is thought of as an integral part of the organization and not just an “add on”.
While it’s specific to his project, the sentiment has much wider implications. In order for any change or addition to be successful our organizations must be clear about and committed to its role within the existing structure. It’s a no-brainer for things like hiring on replacement staff, but can get a bit sticky when introducing new services, like IM reference, for example. It can’t be seen as the tolerated cousin to existing methods, more like the shiny and precious new baby.
