Featured Contribution: Caroline Donadio on Building a Standardised Modern DAM Framework
As part of our series on DAM standards, Archivist and Digital Asset Manager Caroline Donadio has kindly contributed an article exploring the crucial role of standardisation in establishing a future-proof DAM framework.
Caroline effectively highlights the human instinct to organise and its critical role in DAM, drawing a compelling connection between traditional knowledge organisation, such as libraries and archives, and modern DAM systems, underscoring the challenges arising from inconsistent metadata standards. The discussion of fragmentation within the DAM community is particularly insightful, as it highlights the risks of interoperability issues and governance challenges that have arisen due to DAM’s lack of standards adoption compared to conventional librarianship.
“However, unlike libraries and archives, the DAM community lacks standardized practices. While DAM platforms are abundant, organizations either adopt different metadata standards, such as MODS and XMP, or create custom taxonomies, resulting in inconsistent approaches across industries. This fragmentation creates significant challenges for interoperability, data governance, and compliance. Though some vendors offer best practices, organizations must largely develop their own strategies.” [Read More]
The structured approach to DAM implementation, based on metadata, taxonomy, and policies, is well-articulated, and the emphasis on standardised metadata schemas, controlled vocabularies, and governance policies represents solid best practice guidance. The real-world example of integrating digital assets following a corporate merger strengthens the argument, providing tangible evidence of the benefits of a well-executed DAM strategy.
The article also conveys the broader implications of DAM beyond a single industry. By advocating for stronger metadata standards, Caroline makes a persuasive case for cross-sector collaboration to improve digital information management. The reference to declining paper records and the lack of dedicated DAM professionals reinforces the urgency of establishing standardised practices.
Overall, a well-reasoned and insightful article that effectively highlights the need for a more structured approach to DAM metadata standardisation.
You can read the full article at the link below.
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