Digital Humanities Sustainability (DHS) Project

Many research projects in Oxford create data repositories and websites, which continue to be used and added to beyond the end of any funding. These projects span many disciplines in Oxford, across the academic divisions and GLAM. This ‘life’s work’ data collection and interpretation provides a vital resource for academic communities across the world, in their respective fields, whilst also contributing to future research projects. It is a fundamental characteristic of such data assets that they remain ‘live’, because scholars want to continue to make new findings available and to collaborate with researchers in many different institutions. Making data ‘open’, so that it is discoverable and can be queried in many ways, can provide the catalyst for new research questions. In many cases, these are also important cultural heritage collections, used by broad communities with audiences that go well beyond the research environment. A selection of these types of projects can be found at the Oxford Digital Humanities website,    many of which would have an interest in using a delivered DHS Solution.

There is no technical solution (or associated implementation strategy) currently in place at the University of Oxford to ensure continued, long-term access to digital content, or to maintain international collaborations, where direct access to the data is facilitated. This project will provide a solution that will benefit many digital researchers looking for a suitable collaborative platform to store, reuse and curate digital research in the long term, rather than to support initial development or long term archival preservation. It is a need that has been articulated by many researchers, who have invested very significant amounts of their time creating the data, often funded by organisations that expect long-term access to the data and which needs to be maintained in a usable format rather than locked away in digital storage.

This project intends to be highly collaborative and will engage with initiatives and stakeholders across the University, aiming to use existing solutions and services where appropriate. The Bodleian Libraries and the broader museums and collections sector face similar challenges, which we are committed to addressing together, in order to support our researchers, academic and curatorial staff. If you would like to find out more or work closer with the project please feel free to contact the team, who would be more than happy to discuss further.