Peer Compare Preservation Practices Benchmark Report

Abstract

DCN members participated in a pilot project in early 2022 in which partner representatives were invited to individual meetings with then DCN Assistant Director, Mikala Narlock, to share and discuss their current preservation practices, specifically with regards to research data. This report details the background, project methodology, results, shared challenges and opportunities, and potential future projects for the DCN and similar peer organizations. These conversations revealed that many members share challenges, such as creating and managing preservation metadata, drafting and sharing retention and review policies, or collaborating on the complex preservation of blended software and code. The overall sentiment of interviews is that each institution is preserving content to the best of their abilities now, while watching research data preservation best practices develop. This report should be understood as a snapshot in time and a benchmark of current practices.