Where we’ve been and where we’re going: Reflecting on the Data Curation Network

Abstract

At the Fall 2022 CNI Member Meeting, the Data Curation Network (DCN) presented on our three types of infrastructure which can enable cross-institutional collaborations to be successful: tool-based infrastructure, collaborative administrative structures, and trust-based communication mechanisms. These structures of success surfaced from DCN members during a retrospective meeting, a three day member-driven effort to evaluate the successes and the challenges we faced during the first few years of building the network. Following our discussions at the DCN Retrospective, we collaboratively authored a comprehensive report on the development of the DCN, set to be published March 2023 by the University of Michigan Press. In this project briefing, we will build on our Fall CNI presentation and discuss the successes and challenges of establishing the DCN, as described in the forthcoming book The Art, Science, and Magic of the Data Curation Network: A Retrospective on Cross-Institutional Collaboration. Specifically, we will discuss the success of our three central programs – curation, education, and research– which have fostered our engaged community of practice. We will also describe the challenges we have grappled with as a network, and how we hope to overcome some of these issues moving forward. Finally, we will conclude by reflecting on potential future collaborative endeavors to support research data sharing and management.