Who gives a DAM?: The Iterative Process for Assessing Digital Asset Management Tools

Abstract

A task force based in the Texas A&M University Libraries is working to assess digital asset systems (DAMS). While situated in the Libraries, the task force is supplemented by campus collaborators from the College of Architecture and University Marketing & Communications, with the goal of recommending a tool or tools that will meet the access and exhibition needs for digital collections of not only the TAMU Libraries, but also of other entities across campus. Over the course of the past 18 months, the task force has conducted a needs assessment, surveyed campus stakeholders, developed long and short lists of DAMS, produced a robust testing instrument, brought various systems into production for testing, and run tests against high-scoring systems. This poster reports on the iterative processes behind our assessment work, which originated as a Libraries effort and grew to encompass more complex needs, and presents findings from our testing.