Evaluation of Heritage 2022
Heritage 2022 is the BFI’s major preservation-led programme to safeguard high-risk significant collections held by the BFI National Archive and the Regions and Nations Film Archives across the UK. It seeks to ensure that collections are safe for future generations to enjoy and gain knowledge from and to improve public access through digital preservation and infrastructure.
This work is vital to ensure that the UK’s rich moving-image heritage is not eroded by the ravages of time. In particular for titles in older videotape formats, there is a real risk of permanent loss. Through digitisation, the Heritage 2022 programme has seen over 100,000 items on videotape and 1,140 titles stored on film “future-proofed”. Yet the Heritage 2022 programme is about much more than merely preserving works. It also seeks to make content increasingly accessible to the public, for example through the development of a web platform accessible in UK public libraries (BFI Replay) or events and festivals such as the new BFI Film on Film Festival.
In total, the programme features seven individual strands. In addition to the work on the digitisation of video and film contents, other key work included the creation of 100 new 35mm projection prints of classic film titles reserved for special heritage screenings, the preservation of important printed materials, and gathering data on cast diversity in the screen sector over time.
Alma Economics was commissioned by the British Film Institute (BFI) to evaluate the design, implementation, outcomes and impact of the organisation’s Heritage 2022 programme. To evaluate the H22 programme and each strand individually, a mixed methods process and impact evaluation was conducted, outlined in three stages below:
Scoping. This stage involved mapping existing monitoring data shared by BFI, gaining access to relevant additional information at the programme and strand-level, and conducting scoping interviews with H22 core staff. Findings from the scoping phase were fed directly into the bespoke logic models per H22 strand. The logic models served as an important reference tool throughout the evaluation, guiding the outcomes and impacts that were measured in each strand report and supported the identification of causal pathways through which outcomes and impacts are delivered.
Process evaluation. We identified and evaluated the key processes involved in delivering each H22 strand, including whether processes worked well or presented any challenges and why. During the evaluation, particular attention was given to (i) coordination and workflow, (ii) scope and goal setting, (iii) programme governance, and (iv) monitoring and evaluation within each strand. The key output of the process evaluation is an assessment of which processes have worked well, identifying challenges, and deriving recommendations for similar projects in the future.
Impact evaluation. This stage reflects the range and type of outcomes and impacts generated from each of the seven strands of H22. Key outcomes include (among others) whether programme objectives, National Lottery policy directions, and respective DCMS priorities have been achieved. Furthermore, we investigated whether H22 supports preservation and enables access to the UK’s screen heritage, whether cultural value was generated, and how such difficult-to-measure outcomes can be captured.
The findings from each strand’s evaluation supported the development of a set of conclusions and actionable recommendations for future programmes run by the BFI, using National Lottery funding, or seeking to preserve the UK’s rich screen culture.
Find the report here.