We are the Data Curation Network
As professional data curators, data management experts, data repository administrators, disciplinary scientists and scholars we represent academic institutions and non-profit data repositories that steward research data for future use.
What we do
We strive to build a trusted community-led network of curators advancing open research by making data more ethical, reusable, and understandable.
Get involved
Our Values
Open. We share data curation techniques that are practical, transparent and available to all.
Trusted. We add value to data while maintaining data integrity and upholding the ethical responsibilities of data sharing.
Inclusive. We foster an accessible and welcoming environment to equitably support all participants.
Collaborative. We build an innovative community of practice for data curation.
Empowering. We advocate for data professionals by providing a pipeline for training data curators, promoting data curation practices and enriching capacities for data curation writ large.
Recent blog posts
DCN Leadership Transition
Mikala Narlock, DCN Director, has accepted a new position at Indiana University Libraries as the Director of Research Data Service. Beginning March 28th, Emma Molls, the Director of Open Research and Publishing at the University of Minnesota Libraries, will serve as the interim Director. We anticipate filling the vacancy during the summer of 2025. This…
Get to Know DCN Curator Jennifer Patiño!
Jennifer Patiño is the Data and Digital Scholarship Librarian at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Jennifer was interviewed by Matthew Murray in March 2025. What’s your current position and how did you come to it? I am the Data and Digital Scholarship Librarian over at UW Madison. I’m from Chicago, and I have a background…
Get to know Amy Ferguson, Special Programs Manager!
Hello! I’m Amy and I’m thrilled to join the Data Curation Network as the new Special Programs Manager, where I’ll divide my time between community management in the DCN and supporting the RADS Initiative. I’m a professional Dungeons and Dragons Game Master (I’ve been hired to GM birthday parties and teach/facilitate games for local middle…
Integrating the CURATE(D) Steps at the National Transportation Library (NTL)
The post was authored by Jesse Ann Long and Peyton Tvrdy of the National Transportation Library. This post was authored in Fall 2024. In June 2023 the National Transportation Library’s (NTL) Data Services Team incorporated the Data Curation Network’s CURATE(D) workflow into their data cataloging process. NTL is a sub-organization that exists within the Bureau…
The Data Curation Network is hosted by the University of Minnesota Libraries.