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.

CollaborativeWe 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

Get to Know DCN Curator Sarah Reiff Conell!

April 22, 2025

Sarah Reiff Conell is the Research Data Management Specialist at Princeton University. Sarah was interviewed by Jennifer Patiño in April 2025. How did you come to your current position? I came to this position through a PhD in art history. I was a project manager for a few different projects, but in each of my positions,…

DCN Leadership Transition

March 28, 2025

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!

March 25, 2025

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!

March 20, 2025

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…

The Data Curation Network is hosted by the University of Minnesota Libraries.