About the University Digital Conservancy
About
The University Digital Conservancy (UDC) is a program of the University of Minnesota Libraries that encompasses the institutional repository, the data repository, and web archiving for the University of Minnesota. The UDC strategically partners with hundreds of departments, centers, and colleges across the Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester campuses.
The Digital Conservancy provides free public access and long-term preservation for works created at the U of M. The UDC is an open access repository for U of M authors to openly share their publications and research, guided by our policies and terms of use.
The Digital Conservancy is:
a venue for faculty to deposit open access copies of their scholarly work,
a showcase for select student works, such as dissertations, theses, and undergraduate research,
a home to the Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM),
a collection of U of M web archives, and
the digital arm of the University of Minnesota Archives, providing centralized, searchable access to institutional records, reports, and publications.
About the UDC
The University Digital Conservancy (UDC) preserves and shares the intellectual and informational outputs of the University in many formats – from preprints to theses to podcasts – from across the University’s academic, research, and administrative communities. As a program, the UDC provides a set of services and campus infrastructure as a public service that showcases and facilitates public scholarship.
The UDC offers many benefits, including:
Open access: Deposit material for free while satisfying public access requirements.
Increase visibility: Increase exposure in search engines like Google and Google Scholar.
Download analytics: Track downloads of items and gauge impact.
Full-text search: Improve discoverability through full-text searching using Google, Google Scholar, or the UDC search box.
Persistent links: Unique URLs for each item provide reliable, persistent links for references and citations.
Digital preservation: Secure, long-term storage and preservation ensure continuous access and protection against loss.
About DRUM
The Data Repository for U of M (DRUM) is a curated data repository that prioritizes ensuring data are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). DRUM is a place for University of Minnesota affiliates to share, publish, and preserve digital data for long-term access and future use.
In addition to the benefits of the UDC, DRUM provides:
Persistent identifiers: Handles and Digital object identifiers (DOIs) make it easy for others to cite data and meet publication requirements.
Meet sharing requirements: Comply with funder or journal data management and sharing requirements.
Maximize reusability: Data curation staff will work to ensure data are fit for reuse.
Access options: Make data immediately accessible or restrict access for up to 2 years.
DRUM Services
The Data Repository for U of M (DRUM) is a fully-curated open access data repository. University of Minnesota researchers, students, and staff may deposit data to DRUM subject to our collection policies. Data sets submitted to the Data Repository are immediately reviewed by a team of data curation staff to ensure that datasets are in a format and structure that best facilitate long-term access, discovery, and reuse. Repository services include:
Curation: All data in DRUM are assigned to a subject-expert curator who performs data-level curation procedures pioneered by the University of Minnesota Libraries, the lead institution in the Data Curation Network project. Curation includes:
Documentation: Work with authors to create additional data documentation, e.g., readme template
Metadata creation: Identify and apply standardized metadata schemas (Dublin Core and DataCite)
Quality control/Quality assurance: Open files, run code, detect/request missing files and/or information (e.g., what do “blank” cells mean?)
Chain of custody: Maintains the chain of custody for datasets via our repository technology system, DSpace, which is based on the OAIS standard for tracking the integrity and authenticity of all digital objects housed in the system
File format transformations: Ensure that data locked in proprietary formats can be preserved and migrated for reuse in the future
Creative Commons Licenses: Assist authors in choosing an appropriate license
DataCite DOIs: Mint persistent URLs that ensure long-term citability
Discovery and access: DRUM is a publicly available collection of digital research data generated by U of M researchers, students, and staff. Anyone can search and download the data housed in the repository, instantly or by request. All data sets are fully indexed and search engine optimized for broad findability in Google, Google Scholar, Web of Science and others.
Preservation: DRUM provides long-term preservation of digital data files using services such as migration (limited format types), secure backup, bit-level checksums, and disaster recovery mechanisms in place.
CoreTrustSeal Certified Repository: DRUM was approved for the 2020-2022 requirements set by the CoreTrustSeal Board certifying it as a trustworthy source of data by our international peers. DRUM is listed in the Registry of Data Repositories (re3Data.org under ID:r3d100011393)
U of M Data Policy: The Data Repository for the University of Minnesota is used by the University and conforms to the Research Data Management Policy.
Research Data Services
DRUM is part of a broad suite of services, offered at no cost, that support research data management on campus including data management plans, metadata consultation, training, and data analysis and visualization. We also refer you to other campus-based services. See the Research Data Services page for additional information.
Want to include the Data Repository for U of M in your next grant? Use our boilerplate language for your Data Management Plan.
About Web Archives
The University of Minnesota web archives program documents and preserves valuable online resources that complement existing collections and services in the University Digital Conservancy and the University of Minnesota Archives. Web archive collections include selected websites for academic programs and administrative offices, such as University colleges, departments, and centers; organizations and associations; committees; campus-related activities; and historically significant events.
Contact Us
Need Help? Contact us with your questions via email or our simple contact form. You can contact us in several ways:
- For general questions about the UDC, theses and dissertations contact udc@umn.edu
- For questions about the Data Repository contact datarepo@umn.edu
- For data management consultations and Data Management and Sharing plans, contact Research Data Services at data@umn.edu
If you are not sure who you need to talk to, use our contact form and we will get you to the right person.