measuring impact for the digital humanities
TRANSCRIPT
Measuring Impact for Digital Resources
The Arcadia Fund have provided funds to explore methods and techniques for impact and value assessment for digital resources.
Factoring impact as meaning:
the measurable outcomes arising from the existence of a digital resource that demonstrate a change in the life or life opportunities of the community for which the resource is intended.
www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/impact.html
Measuring impact for the REF
The REF factors impact as meaning: The assessment of impact will be based on expert review of case studies submitted by higher education institutions. Case studies may include any social, economic or cultural impact or benefit beyond academia that has taken place during the assessment period, and was underpinned by excellent research produced by the submitting institution within a given timeframe..
www.ref.ac.uk/pubs/2011-01/
A recorded or otherwise auditable occasion of influence from academic research on another actor or organization. a. Academic impacts from research are influences upon actors in academia or universities. b. External impacts are influences on actors outside higher education, that is, in business, government or civil society.
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/
There are Many Perspectives on Impact
Educating and learningEngaging and increasing knowledgeEconomic and generating wealthHealth and wellbeingSocial and community cohesionEnvironmental and sustainingPolitical and democratisingTechnological and innovatingEntertainment and participationEquality and equity
Making an impact or just a splash?
© H de Smet
www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/inspiring.html
Inspiring Research, Inspiring Scholarship
New areas of research enabled
“Old Bailey Online reaches out to communities, such as family historians, who are keen to find a personal history, reflected in a national story, and in the process re-enforces the workings of a civil society. Digital resources both create a
new audience, and reconfigure our analysis to favour the
individual.”Professor Tim Hitchcock, University of
Hertfordshire
“Digitised resources allow me to discover the hidden lives of
disabled people, who have not traditionally left records of their
lives. I have found disability was discussed by many writers in the Eighteenth Century and
that disabled men and women played an important role in the social life of the
time.”Dr David Turner, Swansea University
www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/inspiring.html
Effective, efficient and world leading
www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/inspiring.html
Bringing collections
out of the dark
www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/inspiring.html
Bestowing economic & community benefits
www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/inspiring.html
Glasgow Museum's Collection is the city’s biggest single fiscal asset valued at £1.4 billion. It contains around 1.2 million objects. On average only 2% of the collection is exhibited to the public at any one time. Digital access is opening up further access to these collections.
A major impact sought is to increase self-confidence in the populace – to feel less marginalised, less insignificant, less unheard. Increased feelings of self-worth through interaction with the Museums will spill over into every aspect of their lives.
Digitised content & JISC Collections negotiations
save the sector ~£43 million per year
“The Freeze Frame archive is invaluable in charting changes in the polar regions. Making the material available to all will help with further research into scientific studies around global warming and climate change”Pen Hadow, Polar Explorer
Interdisciplinary & collaborative
www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/inspiring.html
On the other hand...
“You want a massive digital collection: SCAN THE STACKS!... You agonize over digital metadata and the
purity thereof...
And you offer crap access.
If I ask you to talk about your collections, I know that you will glow as you describe the amazing
treasures you have. When you go for money for digitization projects, you talk up the incredible cultural value...
But then if I look at the results of those digitization projects,
I find the shittiest websites on the planet. It’s like a gallery spent all its money buying art and then just stuck the paintings in supermarket bags and leaned
them against the wall.”
Nat Torkington (@gnat) http://bit.ly/rNHMVr“Libraries: Where It All Went Wrong” The text of a Speech delivered to
provoke the National and State Librarians of Australasia, November 2011
Measuring the Impact
© H de Smet
The Balanced Value Model
Where the value and impact can be found in digital resources,
Who are the beneficiaries gaining from the impact and value,
How to measure change and impact for digital resources,
What makes for good indicators of change in people’s lives,
How to do an Impact Assessment using the Balanced Value Model, and
How to present a convincing evidence-based argument for digital resources?
The Balanced Value Model
Know what you want to assess.
Know why you want to assess it.
Know what you will do with the results.
Know how much it is worth for you to know this information.
The Balanced Value Model
Impact = 4 Perspectives
Our case for Impact
We are more effective and efficient in delivering change and benefits to the external and internal stakeholders (Internal Impact);
Our organisation or our stakeholders are gaining strategic advantage through the innovation inherent in this digital activity (Innovation Impact);
We are delivering a strong economic benefit to our stakeholders that demonstrate the worth and value of our endeavours in clear monetary terms (Economic Impact); and
the community of stakeholders has been changed by the resource in beneficial ways that can be clearly identified (Social Impact)
Where is the Human in DH?
Are we so focussed upon the digital aspects and the Humanities subjects they afford in a Digital Humanities context that we forget the human part?
Who are the Humanities for? Does DH serve them equally, better or worse than just the Humanities?
Have we lost touch with those who benefit from our endeavours?
We have to square the dichotomy of instrumentalist versus intangible value viewpoints.
Do we dare to ask?
Who benefits from our research?
What do those benefits look like?
Do the beneficiaries have any say in what the Humanities are or should be?
Are there others out there who care but do not directly benefit?
For whom are we responsible? When we benefit someone do we care?
If we allowed our beneficiaries to define success what would that look like? Would we like their conclusions and are we capable of change?
If we measure it, does that change it or us or them?
