The E-Content Award 2005

Strategic E-Content Alliance

Introduction
The Strategic e-Content Alliance is a three year initiative funded as part of JISC’s Capital programmes. It began in March 2006 and will conclude its current phase of work in March 2009. Its aim is: to build a common information environment where users of publicly funded e-content can gain best value from the investment that has been made by reducing the barriers that currently inhibit access, use and re-use of e-content.
JISC is taking forward this work in collaboration with a set of key organisations across the public sector, these are: The British Library; The BBC; British Education Communications and Technologies Agency (BECTa); The UK e-Science Core Programme; The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and The NHS National Library for Health (NLH).

The first phase of this work has taken place under the banner of the Common Information Environment1. The Strategic e-Content Alliance aims to take this work into the next stage and look at how this vision can be realised through providing a set of principles and guidelines for best practice. This e-Content Framework will enable key public sector organisations to collaborate and co-ordinate their e-content activities so they make best use of the limited funds available to fully realise the potential of this e-content for the benefit of the UK. The framework will also reference the key barriers currently inhibiting closer co-ordination and develop an action plan to address these.

The challenges
The challenge is to move from a fragmented and uncoordinated approach to one which takes a holistic view of management and provision of e-content to the e-citizen. Issues to be addressed include, we need to:
• have an overview of the different e-content strategies across the public sector and identify opportunities for co-operation and maximising value
• recognise the priorities, inhibitors and focus for each public sector organisation
• understand the organisational barriers that may impact on the development of a common framework
• build up and share market intelligence about the e-content requirements of e-citizens
• strengthen the commitment to the Common Information Environment and to the co-ordination of further development of standards and interoperability
• share a common approach to IPR, Licensing and Digital Rights Management in order to facilitate access, use and re-use of e-content by e-citizens
• find affordable solutions for the ongoing sustainability of the services which provide e-content to the e-citizen. The potential for affordable solutions through economies of scale
• undertake a UK audit of e-content created or licensed by the public sector for use by the e-citizen and establish a register to provide a source of reference, remove uncertainty about the amount of duplication taking place and provide potential for joint ventures
• document and disseminate the processes that public sector organisations might set in place to develop and deliver their e-content activities and services in a more common way
• understand and document risks inherent in this area, in particular from e-content services outside the public sector which may offer both opportunities and threats
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