Who uses the digital data archive? An exploratory study of DANS

Christine L Borgman,Andrew Treloar,Andrea Scharnhorst,Herbert Van De Sompel,Henk Van Den Berg

doi:10.1002/pra2.2015.145052010096

Abstract

ABSTRACTDespite the advances in policy and practice for data sharing, surprisingly little is known about the uses and users of digital data archives, about relationships between users and the staff of data archives, or how these behaviors vary by discipline, geographic region, policy, and other factors. Digital data archives are not a single type of institution, however. They vary widely in organizational structure, mission, collection, funding, and relationships to their users and other stakeholders. We present an exploratory study of DANS, the Digital Archiving and Networked Services of the Netherlands, with the goal of identifying methods for studying the contributors, consumers, and role of archivists in digital data archives. Starting with transaction logs that serve management purposes, we present estimates of the distribution of uses and users of DANS. Units of analysis necessary to study user behavior, such as dataset, file, user, creator, and consumer, are difficult to glean from logs that were not designed for these inquiries. We recommend methods for improving the design of data collection instruments and outline the subsequent phases of our mixed‐method research on the uses, users, policy, and practice of digital data archiving.

Highlights

As open access to research data becomes a requirement of funding agencies and journals, digital data archives become essential components of scholarly communication and knowledge infrastructures
Researchers, technical staff, and managers at DANS, some of whom consulted with contributors or consumers of EASY datasets for further clarification
The transaction log files are a rich source of descriptive information about who uses the system, when, how, and how often

Summary

Introduction

As open access to research data becomes a requirement of funding agencies and journals, digital data archives become essential components of scholarly communication and knowledge infrastructures. Data archives range widely in their mission, from long-term preservation to providing immediate access to replication datasets. They vary in the degree of investment in data curation. Some archives devote days or weeks of professional labor to curating each dataset before deposit; others are “self-curated,” accepting data in whatever form submitted, with minimal review. Another dimension along which data archives may vary is the longevity of the collection itself, ranging from short-term grant funding to long-term commitments by universities, governments, or other agencies (Borgman, 2015; National Science Board (U.S.), 2005)

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Conclusion