5 common DAM challenges faced by... senior museum curators

5th January 2026

The remit of a senior museum curator is wide ranging, overseeing collections, effectively displaying exhibits, ensuring the preservation and accessibility of historical artefacts, and working with researchers, exhibition designers, and archivists to develop engaging and informative displays.

It’s not an easy job, but it’s made much more difficult if the institution’s Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems and processes are not implemented effectively.

In this article we’re going to explore five of the most common DAM challenges museum curators face, and how a dedicated DAM system can help overcome them.

READ MORE: Why ResourceSpace is perfect for... arts and heritage

The 5 most common DAM challenges for senior museum curators

We’ve been supporting arts and heritage institutions with their Digital Asset Management processes for years, and in that time we’ve recognised that there are five common challenges that senior museum curators are facing:

1. Multiple systems and departmental silos
2. Inconsistent metadata and documentation standards
3. Funding and resource constraints
4. Outdated tech and long-term digital preservation
5. Slow (or manual) workflows impacting exhibition planning

Multiple systems and departmental silos

Senior museum curators often have to work across a patchwork of databases, shared drives and legacy tools to locate the digital records they need. 

High-resolution images might be located in one system, conservation reports in another, and exhibition photography buried in personal folders, email threads or outdated servers. This fragmentation makes it difficult to build a complete and reliable view of an object’s history, usage and context.

READ MORE: Why Museums Need a Centralised Archive for Digital Assets

Silos also undermine collaboration between archivists, exhibition designers and researchers who may all be working with the same material. However, without a shared platform they are forced to rely on manual file sharing and imperfect workarounds, leading to duplicated effort, inconsistent records and unnecessary delays—particularly during time-sensitive exhibition planning or loan requests. 

Valuable time is spent tracking down assets, confirming versions and checking documentation rather than focusing on curatorial research and interpretation. Over time, inefficiencies compound as collections grow and digital content expands, and the lack of a centralised approach makes it increasingly difficult to maintain accuracy, consistency and accessibility across departments.

How to overcome this challenge

A dedicated Digital Asset Management system replaces disconnected tools with a single, centralised repository for all digital collection assets. Images, video, documentation and supporting materials are stored together, with consistent metadata and clear relationships between items, creating a single source of truth that can be relied upon.

With powerful search and controlled access, curators, archivists, designers and researchers can find and use the assets they need without duplication or confusion. Meanwhile, collaboration becomes simpler and more transparent, supporting more efficient research, exhibition planning and knowledge sharing across the institution.

Inconsistent metadata and documentation standards

For senior museum curators, inconsistent metadata and documentation standards create significant barriers to effective collection management. Provenance details, exhibition history and researcher notes are recorded differently across departments or stored in separate systems entirely, while some information may sit in spreadsheets, collection databases or documents with no agreed structure.

This inconsistency makes it difficult to trust the accuracy or completeness of records. Tracking how and where an object has been displayed, referenced or loaned becomes time-consuming, particularly when preparing exhibitions, responding to research enquiries or supporting funding and accreditation requirements. 

Over time, gaps and discrepancies in documentation can undermine confidence in the collection’s digital record and place additional pressure on limited curatorial resources.

How to overcome this challenge

A DAM enforces consistent metadata standards across all assets, enabling curators to define controlled fields for provenance, exhibition history and research notes, ensuring information is recorded in a structured and searchable way.

By centralising documentation and applying shared standards, a DAM creates reliable, repeatable records that support research, exhibition planning and long-term collection management, while also reducing the risk of information being lost or misinterpreted.

Funding and resource constraints

Senior museum curators are often required to deliver ambitious exhibitions and digital initiatives with limited budgets and small teams.

Funding pressures can restrict investment in new technology (such as a dedicated DAM), while day-to-day responsibilities leave little time to improve underlying processes. As a result, Digital Asset Management is frequently handled through manual workarounds, fragmented systems and the institutional knowledge of a few individuals. This not only slows down the work of senior museum curators, but also increases the risk of mistakes being made, asset duplication and inefficient processes.

How to overcome this challenge

Effective DAM processes do not have to rely on large budgets or complex implementations. Instead, by prioritising core requirements such as centralised storage, consistent metadata and controlled access, senior curators can introduce a DAM system that delivers significant benefits to the institution and the teams that engage with the DAM. 

A scalable DAM allows museums to start small and expand over time, helping teams work more efficiently, protect valuable assets and maximise the return on limited resources.

READ MORE: Why ResourceSpace is perfect for… arts and heritage

Outdated tech and long-term digital preservation

Many museums are still relying on outdated infrastructure to store and manage digital assets, such as external hard drives, local servers and legacy systems that introduce real risks, from failing hardware and unsupported file formats to data corruption and accidental loss. What’s more, ‘fragile’ media formats such as old video files, scanned slides or early digital photography can quickly become inaccessible if formats are no longer supported or software licences lapse.

For senior curators, this creates significant preservation challenges. Assets that document provenance, conservation work or past exhibitions may be difficult or impossible to retrieve when needed, and this undermines research and threatens the integrity of the collection’s digital record. 

Outdated technology also limits the ability to share assets with researchers, partners and the public, impacting digital engagement and marketing campaigns.

How to overcome this challenge

A Digital Asset Management system enables long-term digital preservation by centralising assets in a single, central location, allowing museums to reduce their reliance on fragile storage and unsupported systems. A DAM supports a wide range of file types and makes it easier to migrate assets as formats and technologies evolve. File integrity checking is also built in to give you extra peace of mind. 

Version control, structured metadata and controlled access also help to ensure assets remain usable, traceable and secure over time. Cloud-based or professionally maintained DAM infrastructure—for example, provided by a vendor like ResourceSpace—also reduces the burden on small internal teams, helping museums protect their digital collections for future generations without constant firefighting or costly emergency recoveries.

Slow (or manual) workflows impacting exhibition planning

Exhibition planning requires timely access to relevant and up-to-date digital assets, but many senior curators are held back by slow manual workflows. 

Searching through shared drives, spreadsheets and email threads to find images, rights information or past exhibition materials takes valuable time away from research and creative planning. Sorting assets manually, checking versions and confirming approvals can create bottlenecks, particularly when multiple departments are involved.

These delays often impact the entire exhibition timeline, leading to designers waiting for confirmed assets, researchers struggling to access supporting materials, and last-minute changes increasing pressure on already overstretched teams. These manual processes also increase the risk of errors, either from using the wrong version of an image or overlooking usage restrictions.

How to overcome this challenge

A Digital Asset Management system streamlines exhibition workflows by bringing search, approvals and versioning into a single platform. Assets can be found quickly using metadata and filters, while structured approval workflows ensure the right people sign off content at the right stage.

Advanced version control ensures only the latest assets are used within campaigns and other collateral, while granular user permissions help teams collaborate without the DAM Manager losing control of content. 

By reducing manual steps and speeding up access to assets, Digital Asset Management allows senior curators to plan exhibitions more efficiently and with greater confidence.

ResourceSpace is the DAM of choice for so many arts and heritage institutions thanks to the features and functionality that help to overcome the common challenges faced by senior museum curators.

If you’d like to find out how it can help you to deal with siloed departments, inconsistent metadata and digital preservation—all while remaining within a tight budget—get in touch with our expert team today. Alternatively, book your free 30-minute DAM demo below.