Make your list, check it twice: Curatorial preservation checklist for repositories

As research data grows in volume and complexity, concerns about maintaining long-term access to valuable datasets are heightened. Preservationists need comprehensive information about datasets' creation, relevance, and long-term value to support informed preservation decisions. Our proposed solution is to involve data curators in appraisal for preservation early in the data deposit process, in order to capture the richest possible understanding of a dataset’s current and perceived long-term usefulness. By leveraging their unique position working with depositors, curators can collect essential information to inform preservation decisions and reduce duplication of effort in (re)appraisal over time. 

In this poster presentation, we will share recent efforts to finalize and publish an appraisal checklist for use by data curators at the point of ingest, in their interactions with depositors, and then later, by preservationists during a (re)appraisal process. Join us to explore how integrating long-term appraisal into data curation can ensure better decision-making by preservationists over the long-term, minimizing environmental costs and duplication of effort while also preparing better for changes in ongoing research needs.