Equality, findability, sustainability: the challenges and rewards of open digital humanities data

Abstract

ABSTRACT The need to sustain data and outputs from research projects well beyond their initial grant-funded period is commonplace within academia, particularly so within the Humanities. We often find that these semi-active or warm data collections have value and require care beyond the life of the original hosting, system, or platform they were conceived upon. With the increasing demand to make data more open, and research funding bodies increasing requirements and time periods for which research data must remain available, institutions need to be ready to offer researchers the tools and platforms to comply. Compliance is one lens to view this particular challenge through, the other is that institutions should also be motivated by celebrating the research they develop, and the continued scholarly benefits and impact gained through being hosted and shared for as long as possible. This paper offers a practical insight into the methods being employed at the University of Oxford to support digital humanities scholars (and others) safeguard their digital legacy for future generations.