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3 Context
This report presents the results of an audit conducted in Scotland's tourist, sporting and cultural sectors on how digital media services are viewed and used there. It is considered a baseline in the sense that it was to try and establish a snapshot of where organisations in those sectors have progressed to in terms of the sophistication of the digital media services they provide to their users, other organisations, and to a lesser extent their staff.
One important context that this audit was carried out in was the ongoing Cultural Commission's investigations into the state of cultural life in Scotland. It has now published its final report [1]. One important area not being covered in depth by the Cultural Commission was digital media services; the DMS developed, being developed, and planned to be developed, in the Scottish cultural sector (although the remit of this audit was the tourist, cultural and sporting sectors). The baseline audit, and specifically this report, is to be used by the Scottish Executive to help compose a response to the Cultural Commission's report where it talks (or doesn't talk) of digital media services and to provide an evidence base on which to develop the next stage of the Scottish Executive's digital media strategy.
As the Cultural Commission says:
" A national and unified strategy for digital cultural access will provide key components of the Scottish Executive's national cultural access and digital plan while also addressing such issues as:
- broader social inclusion and social justice
- enhanced and unified educational provision
- provision for lifelong and recreational learning
- improved understanding of citizenship and cultural awareness
- access for the remote Scots diaspora
- support for the tourism industry
- technology based economic development
- establishing an international reputation in cross-sector development.
The goal is to be world leading in the delivery of cultural heritage in the digital environment by 2015. The vision for the strategy is a singular, cohesive and integrated national approach to the digital presentation of Scotland's cultural heritage, with the presentation of materials in a user driven format and a unified contribution from the broad range of cultural institutions."
The types of organisations that we intended to audit included tourist, sporting and cultural organisations in Scotland, including:
- Non-departmental public bodies / other government-related agencies
- Higher education
- Local authorities
- Voluntary organisations / charities
- Private companies
By cultural organisations (and after the Cultural Commission) we mean those involved in:
- the arts including drama, dance, literature, music, the visual arts, crafts, film, and all their variations
- the creative industries, including screen and broadcasting
- museums and heritage
- galleries
- libraries
- archives
- architecture
Obviously we also had tourist and sporting public organisations to audit as well.
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