an introduction to the digital curation centre

a centre of expertise in data curation and preservation

DCC Information Day | University of Exeter, 27 March 2007

An introduction to the Digital Curation Centre

Michael DayDCC Research Team

UKOLN, University of BathBath BA2 7AY

[email protected]



2

Schedule

• Introduction to the Digital Curation Centre (Michael Day, DCC)

• Digital curation in the performing arts (Daisy Abbott, AHDS Performing Arts)

• Virtual archives and exhibitions (Jessica Gardner and Gary Stringer, University of Exeter)

• Questions and discussion



3

Outline

• HE/FE context• DCC aims and objectives• DCC activities



4

Contexts (1)

• There are increasing amounts of information in digital form in FE/HE, e.g.:– Research outputs (publications and data)– Learning materials– Administrative records (electronic records

management systems, databases, Web sites)– Information licensed from third-parties (e.g. e-

journals, research databases)



5

Contexts (2)

• There is a strategic need to manage these assets on behalf of the institution, e.g.:– Compliance with:

• Freedom of Information (FoI) legislation• Data Protection legislation

– Verifiability and reproducibility of research• Research Council rules on data retention

– The Open Access agenda



6

Contexts (3)

• Institutional responses include:– Electronic Records Management Systems– Institutional Repositories

• Supra-institutional initiatives:– Some research councils fund central

repositories for certain types of data:• AHRC (Arts and Humanities Data Service)• ESRC (UK Data Archive)• NERC data centres

– Many other discipline-based databases



7

Contexts (4)

• The main drivers for digital curation:– An increasing awareness that digital assets are

reusable– Continuing access is vital to ensure

contemporary scholarship is reproducible and verifiable

– Digital assets are fragile

• Some recent news stories ...



8



9



10



11



12

Digital Curation Centre

• Call for proposals in JISC Circular 6/03

• Launched: Edinburgh, 5 November 2004

• Grant funding from:

– Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)

– UK e-Science Core Programme (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)

• Main activities:

– Development, services and outreach in digital curation

– A research programme



13

Digital curation

• Active management of data over life-cycle of scholarly and scientific interest– Reproducibility– Reuse

• Appreciation of differences between disciplines• Ubiquitous relationship with digital information



14

DCC purpose

• Supporting and promoting continuing improvement in the quality of data curation and digital preservation activity



15

DCC vision

• Centre of excellence in digital curation and preservation in the UK

• Authoritative source of advocacy and expert advice and guidance to the community

• Key facilitator of an informed research community with established collaborative networks of digital curators

• Service provider of a wide range of resources, software, tools and support services



16

DCC objectives

• Provide strategic leadership in digital curation and preservation for the UK research community, with particular emphasis on science data

• Influence and inform national and international policy• Provide advocacy and expert advice and guidance to practitioners and

funding bodies• Create, manage and develop an outstanding suite of resources and

tools• Raise the level of awareness and expertise amongst data creators

and curators, and other individuals with a curation role• Strengthen community curation networks and collaborative

partnerships• Continue our strong association with our research programme



17

DCC partners• University of Edinburgh

– Chris Rusbridge (Director of DCC)– Prof. Peter Buneman (Associate Director, Research)

• University of Glasgow– Prof. Seamus Ross, Director of HATII (Associate Director, User

Services)

• UKOLN, University of Bath– Dr. Liz Lyon, Director of UKOLN (Associate Director, Community

Development)

• Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC)– Dr. David Giaretta (Associate Director, Tools Development)



18

Engaging communities of practice

• Those who have responsibility– Creators, curators, re-users

• Invoke/provoke good practices• Research in productive areas

– e.g. informatics, law, e-science ...• Work on the ‘R&D’ to create services of relevance

– Turn products of research and development into tools and services for use



19



20

DCC pathways



21

DCC research goals

• Bringing Strands of Curation together including– Traditional archiving functions– The curation of evolving knowledge, e.g. as

seen in scientific databases• Conduct research in areas crucial to digital curation• To institute two-way conduits between research

activity and service provision



22

DCC research agenda

• Data integration and publishing• Annotation• Provenance and data quality• Data citation• Metadata extraction• Archiving and appraisal• Legal issues• Networks of trusted repositories • Economic cost-benefit analysis of curation



23

DCC tools and infrastructure

• Representation Information Registry and Repository– Representation Information is all of the

information needed to turn byte-streams into something meaningful

– Pilot registry developed in phase 1; it now needs to be deployed as a service

• Toolkits for other types of metadata• Packaging tools, e.g. XFDU (XML Formatted Data

Unit), SAFE (Standard Archive Format for Europe)



24

DCC user services (1)

• Resources:– Helpdesk system– Publications:

• DCC Curation Manual - in depth treatment of a growing range of topics

• Briefing Papers - readable by senior management• Case Studies• Standards and Technology Watch

– Databases of external resources and standards (DIFFUSE)



25

DCC user services (2)

• Curation services (e.g., DRAMBORA Toolkit)• Professional development, e.g.:

– Training events that bring together practitioners and researchers, e.g. forthcoming events:

• Joint Workshop on Developing an International Curation and Preservation Training Roadmap, Nice, 29-30 March 2007 (with PLANETS/CASPAR/DPE)

• Tutorial on Building Trust in Digital Repositories Using the DRAMBORA Toolkit, London, 27 April 2007 (and The Hague, 3 May 2007, Arlington, Va., 21 May 2007)

• LOCKSS Technical Support Service



26

DCC community development

• Raising awareness of DCC and dissemination of results– Web portal (http://www.dcc.ac.uk)– International Journal of Digital Curation (IJDC)– International Conference (annual)

• Associates Network• Understanding users and their needs, e.g.:

– Events like today– Specific events with data centres– SCARP - separately funded project– Co-operation with repository initiatives



27

DCC Associates Network

• The DCC has identified the importance of engaging with: – Institutions– Organisations and – Individuals

• across all disciplines and domains.• http://www.dcc.ac.uk/associates/



28



29



An introduction to the Digital Curation Centre

Michael DayDCC Research Team

UKOLN, University of BathBath BA2 7AY

[email protected]

an introduction to the digital curation centre

Education

dcc user services

digital curation

expert advice

drambora toolkit

associate director

data

dcc

research