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 For many, severely limited resources make proactive digitisation impossible. Instead, most GLAMS digitise reactively, in response to public, scholarly or commercial requests. This enables GLAMS to pass costs onto consumers while producing digital assets necessary to collections management and digital operations, which can then be commercialised to support other activities (for the profitable few). For some, digitisation funding has been secured via small grants for projects limited in scope, or by larger projects that involve onsite renovations or storage removal. Commercial partnerships can enable digitisation yet restrict assets further through rights negotiated in the contract. These impose new obligations on GLAMS around digital asset management and licensing. For many reasons, most GLAMS situate digitisation operations within the business plan (e.g., as opposed to education and outreach), and their approaches reflect that understanding of the institution, including its goals for, and the purpose of, its digital collections.

Financial precarity among the sector thus negatively impacts the stability and sustainability of digital and open access programmes. Almost all participants noted that staff turnover and loss of institutional knowledge raised barriers over the years. Complicated agreements signed with commercial partners or donors can render entire collections unsound for open access (and TaNC projects) where the staff involved have moved on from the organisation. Where the turnover involves staff who support open access implementation, efforts may stall, dissipate or regress entirely.

In general, the incapacity to engage can be related to finances, labour, staffing and technologies. Participants interviewed stressed the incredible amount of work that goes into preparing collections for digital systems even prior to the incredible amount of work required for publication and for open access. As one open GLAM participant observed, "Open access is hard too. For something that seems simple, it's really not." A participant from a second open GLAM explained, "Change comes from the few. Having internal champions really helps, and yet there is still a long way to go even for people who have made the first step."

All participants felt the pandemic had exacerbated resourcing issues and steered many GLAMS away from open access. Instead, "all focus has shifted to the existential crisis of how to operate".

UK GLAMS may not charge for entry to their permanent collections, but they do rely heavily on revenue generated by visitors. Data shows some of London's national museums welcomed between just 3% and 7% of their normal visitors in 2020/21. These losses result in hundreds of millions of pounds across the sector. The pandemic is now impacting other revenue sources, like international partnerships and special exhibitions that normally produce income, as there are less opportunities across the global sector with everyone fighting to keep their doors open.

Voluntary and involuntary redundancies have led to significant reductions in staff. Tate reported reductions between 18% for gallery employees and 46% for the gallery's commercial arm. Such redundancies and furlough programmes have impacted all operational areas, with an incalculable loss of institutional knowledge and expertise. The consequences are impacting GLAMS ability to do some work at all. This includes TaNC projects, in terms of getting data together or what can now be achieved. With respect to many toolkits and resources, one participant noted guidance now feels

A Culture of Copyright