The document discusses the digital skills ecosystem in UK museums. It finds that while digital skills are increasingly important, museums often prioritize specific technical skills over wider digital literacy. There is also little evidence that museums systematically assess digital skills needs or provide formal training. Additionally, different museums distribute digital responsibilities in different ways, such as centralized, hub-and-spoke, or distributed models. To develop a strong digital skills ecosystem, the document argues museums should prioritize digital literacy, recruit varied competencies, and promote an agile learning culture that can adapt to changing demands and opportunities.

1. Ross Parry, University of Leicester, UK
Doris Ruth Eikhof, CAMEo Research Institute,
University of Leicester, UK
Sally-Anne Barnes, Institute for Employment
Research, University of Warwick, UK,
Erika Kispeter, University of Warwick, UK
Development, supply,
deployment, demand:
Balancing the museum
digital skills ecosystem
 one-by-one.uk

3. Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales
National Museums Scotland
National Army Museum
Royal Pavilion & Museums Brighton and Hove
Derby Museums Trust
Museum of London
Museums Association
Association of Independent Museums
Arts Council England
Museum Development Network
Culture24
School of Museum Studies, and CAMEo (Research Institute for
Cultural and Media Economies),University of Leicester
Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick
Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts & Sciences,
Johns Hopkins University, US
Faculty of Art Design & Architecture, Monash University, Australia
Heritage Lottery Fund
National Museums Directors Conference
Collections Trust
Nesta
FutureLearn

7. 
1Digital is increasingly
seen as part of
everyone’s skill set and all
roles have some kind of
digital element

8. 
2Digital is becoming
professionalised in the
museum as digital roles
and responsibilities
become standard
practice

9. 
3As digital becomes
institutionalised,
museums are
restructuring and
evolving

10. 
4Museums are exploring,
learning and demanding
new digital skills as they
innovate and create with
digital

11. 
5There is a deeper
understanding by
museums of the digital
skills, knowledge and
expertise needed

12. 
6Museums are engaging
increasingly in evidence-
based digital practice

13. 
7Currently, there is little
evidence that museums
are systematically
assessing and identifying
digital skills needs

14. 
There is little evidence of
in-house formal and
planned training around
digital skills or digital
literacy
8

15. 
9There are different
practices in how digital
responsibilities and skills
are distributed managed
and shared across UK
museums

16. Centralised
Digital Model
Hub & Spoke
Digital Model
Distributive
Digital Model

17. Centralised
Digital Model
Skills are centralised; it is
difficult to build digital literacies
and to instil confidence in
others.
Digital activity is co-ordinated
and consistent.
Consequently, there can be a
lack of innovation and
creativity, a slowness to adopt
digital, and digital is not
integral to thinking.

18. Hub & Spoke
Digital Model
Skills are located in the hub and
across spokes; skills are shared
and there is potential to build on
individual digital literacies and
to instil confidence.
Digital skills can be developed
more easily as a sense of
shared digital learning, test and
learn ethos accepted
There is a need to have digitally
confident people in place, and a
need to allow people to test and
learn.

19. Distributive
Digital Model
Skills are shared; individual digital
literacies are built upon, instilling
confidence in others.
When fully distributed, there is a
strong learning culture, easily
able to develop digital literacy
amongst workforce.
There is a need to have a shared
understanding across organisation,
clear strategy, where not fully
distributed then at risk of
learning/ideas not shared.

20. 
10There is evidence of an
assumption in museums
that 'digital skills' relate to
a specific set of technical
competencies

21. Prioritising specific
technical skills
Recruiting
a particular
set of qualifications
and expertise
Siloed and
traditional
forms of
training
Limitations in how finite
technical competencies
can be used
demand
deployment
supply
development
The museum
digital skills
ecosystem

22. Prioritising specific
technical skills
Recruiting
a particular
set of qualifications
and expertise
Siloed and
traditional
forms of
training
Limitations in how finite
technical competencies
can be used
Prioritising a wider
digital literacy
Recruiting
varied
forms of competence
and confidence
Flexibility in how adaptable
workforce can have influence
An agile
and responsive
learning culture
The museum
digital skills
ecosystem
development
deployment
supply
demand

23. Prioritising specific
technical skills
Recruiting
a particular
set of qualifications
and expertise
Siloed and
traditional
forms of
training
Limitations in how finite
technical competencies
can be used
Prioritising a wider
digital literacy
Recruiting
varied
forms of competence
and confidence
Flexibility in how adaptable
workforce can have influence
An agile
and responsive
learning culture
adapting demand
adapting deployment
adaptingsupply
adaptingdevelopment
The museum
digital skills
ecosystem

24.  one-by-one.uk