This document discusses best practices for digital asset management (DAM) systems based on a presentation given by Corey Chimko of Cornell University. It recommends designating a dedicated DAM administrator, carefully planning metadata schemas and governance policies, and engaging users through training and communication to promote system adoption. Key elements include developing taxonomies to organize assets, applying metadata during upload, maintaining permissions and user roles, and periodically auditing the system to ensure optimal search and reuse of digital content over time.

1. How to maximize your content
management strategy with
Digital Asset Management
MAY 22, 2015

2. Corey Chimko
Digital Resources Coordinator
Cornell University
Today’s Speakers
Sam Schnepf
Customer Success Manager
Widen

3. About Widen
About Cornell University
About Digital Asset Management (DAM)
Characteristics of a good DAM administrator
Migrating assets to a DAM system
DAM Best practices (metadata, search, user governance)
Maintaining a DAM system
DAM Tips and Q & A
Overview

4. A few things to know
about Widen

5. We’re a marketing
technology company
that helps connect your content
with everyone who needs it.

6. We serve hundreds
of customers
and hundreds of thousands of users
in 179 countries around the world.

9. A few things to know
about Cornell University

10. ● Founded in 1865
● Private and Public
● 21,593 students
● 1,628 professors
● 526,484 digital assets in our DAM system
● 1,838 DAM system users

13. The Makings of a Good DAM Administrator

14. ● Who is familiar with the inner workings of your
organization, and can also champion the technology?
● Can you dedicate a full-time person to DAM administration?
● What is the scope of the administrator’s responsibility?
(managing the DAM system, training users, system
maintenance and adoption, etc)
Things to ask yourself

15. Mary Kouw
Widen Customer, NYU Medical Center
“I would adamantly advocate that you
have a dedicated Digital Asset
Manager because it is an actual
separate job that takes a lot of time
to be successful.”

16. A wide variety of
computer systems
Output formats and
compatibilities
Software Keeping up with
technology
Finding workflow
efficiencies
Attention to detail
and accuracy
Visual memory
EXCEPTIONAL... KNOWLEDGE OF... KEEN INTEREST IN...
Document, photo, and
video editing applications
A diverse and wide-ranging skill set:
Passion for
organization
Writing/Editing skills
Research skills

17. Migrating assets to
a DAM system

18. ● What are all of the places you currently store assets?
● Move vs. Purge: which assets are your most used or most
important ones?
● Is there any existing metadata that can be extracted from
or moved with your assets to the DAM system?
Things to ask yourself

20. DAM Best Practices
(metadata, search, user governance)

21. Metadata: the language of your DAM system

22. Things to ask yourself
● What do you need to consider when creating a metadata
schema or naming convention?
● What types of metadata fields would your stakeholders
like to see?
● How many metadata fields do you really need?
Metadata: the language of your DAM system

26. ● Embed metadata prior to upload and/or enable metadata
embedding upon export
● Use a non-repeating asset naming convention
● Implement and share your taxonomy with users, and have a
copy available or accessible on your site.
Metadata best practices

27. Search: the way your users find assets

28. ● How will you apply metadata to your assets?
● How do your users prefer to search? (quick search, spotlight
search, categories/faceted search)
● How will you define your field types and values?
Things to ask yourself
Search: the way your users find assets

29. Search best practices
● Categorize and tag assets in your DAM system in a way that
your users find intuitive
● Avoid complexity when tagging your assets
● Tag your assets prior to or during the upload process; if
your assets have no metadata, you can’t search for them

32. Governance: the control your users need

33. ● Should you provide access by business group/department
or allow organization-wide access?
● Should there be any public access to your assets?
If so, which ones should be visible and how?
● How do you make sure that certain people only access
certain digital assets?
Governance: the control your users need
Things to ask yourself

34. Governance best practices
● Identify all user groups that will need access to your assets
● Work with an internal stakeholder group in advance to
agree on permissioning assets organizationally
● Look at the needs of all stakeholders to determine what
different user roles will need to do with your assets
(view, download, upload, edit, share, etc.)

37. Maintaining a DAM system
for optimal engagement

38. ● How often should you audit your DAM system?
● What analytics can you look at to determine if your system
is being utilized?
● How can you engage users to make the best use of your
DAM system and assets?
Things to ask yourself

39. System maintenance
● Arrange weekly, monthly, and yearly maintenance tasks
○ Review user permissions for accuracy
○ Delete inactive users
○ Record statistics
○ Review naming conventions and organizational hierarchies
(they change over time)
● Use advanced search to help you locate and fill in
missing metadata

41. 1. All uploaded assets shall remain in the DAM
system for a period of 5 years;
2. After the 5 year period, non-selected outtakes
shall be removed from the system, though
Cornell University Photography will retain access
to the images offline. Selected images will
remain in the system for another 5 years (total 10
years from date of shoot);
3. All assets 10 years or older shall be removed
from the system on a yearly basis and transferred
to the University Archives.
Sample Asset Lifecycle Policy:

42. ● Keep system messages current and relevant
● Inform users of upgrades, new features, and changes to
system functionality or organization
● Make sure your DAM is featured and linked to on company
websites, letterhead, business cards, etc.
● Offer periodic open-ended training sessions/webinars to
solicit feedback and address user concerns
User engagement

43. DAM Tips from Corey

44. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
If you don’t get things set up right initially,
it’s hard to go back and do it over
Tip 1:

45. ASSIGN A DAM ADMIN
EARLY IN THE PROCESS.
Do this before you implement your DAM
system, not after
Tip 2:

46. LOVE THY METADATA.
The easier it is for users to find assets, the
more they’re going to use the DAM system
Tip 3 :

47. KNOW THE IMPORTANCE
OF USER GOVERNANCE.
Very few users need access to everything; make
their lives easier by narrowing visible content
Tip 4:

48. Q and A

49. Thanks!
Contact Widen:
marketing@widen.com
Follow us:
www.widen.com
www.widen.com/blog
Twitter.com/WidenEnterprise
Linkedin.com/company/Widen-Enterprises
YouTube.com/user/WidenDotCom
Contact Corey:
cjc85@cornell.edu
Cornell DAM:
http://photo.cornell.edu
Cornell taxonomy/best practices:
http://univcomm.cornell.edu/photography/
taxonomy.html