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
New Format Data Curation Primers in 2024
We’re excited to share three new data curation primers released by the Data Curation Network, focusing on critical formats and approaches in scientific and cultural data management: FITS (Flexible Image Transport System), TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), and Linked Data. FITS: The Astronomical Data Standard The FITS primer, developed by Lubov McKone, Robyn DeRocchis, and…
Indigenous data in an institutional repository: First steps toward putting the CARE Principles into practice
This post is authored by Alicia Zuniga, Wanda Marsolek, and Shanda Hunt. Background The Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM) is an open access, curated data repository for UMN affiliates to share digital data for long-term access and reuse. DRUM launched in 2014; ten years and over one thousand submissions later, we continue…
Curating for data rescue
This recent federal agency changes and confusion over access to federally funded research, including the removal of access to data, alteration of existing datasets, and the removal and alteration of documentation, reaffirms the Data Curation Network’s dedication to data curation and preservation. We are grateful for the time and energy of our colleagues across the…
DCN Releases 2024 Annual Report
Today we release our 2024 Annual Report. As with previous years, our community continued to show up for one another through shared curation, educational opportunities, and cross-institutional collaboration. This year, we welcomed six new institutional members, including five through the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)-led, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)-funded Realities of Academic…
The Data Curation Network is hosted by the University of Minnesota Libraries.