The alexandria archive institute will lead a network of cultural heritage stakeholders to investigate, develop, demonstrate, and promote more equitable cultural heritage data curation practices

The Alexandria Archive Institute, a non-profit organization, received a $699,475 Project Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the National Leadership Grants (CFDA 45.312) program. The 3-year project, starting on August 1, 2023, aims to lead a network of cultural heritage stakeholders to investigate, develop, demonstrate, and promote more equitable cultural heritage data curation practices. Specifically, the project will reconcile the apparent social and technical contradictions between the CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) and FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse) data management principles. The participation network includes representatives from libraries, museums, data repositories, and indigenous heritage groups. Through in-person and virtual meetings, the project will advance the capacity of cultural heritage institutions to curate data documenting diverse community histories, landscapes, and cultures in an ethically responsible manner.

Specifically, the project aims to reconcile the apparent social and technical contradictions between two highly regarded data management principles: care (collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, and ethics) and fair (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse). The participation network includes representatives from libraries; museums; data repositories; public, commercial, and non-profit institutions; as well as indigenous heritage representatives. Participants will meet twice in-person and more frequently in virtual meetings of three thematic working groups to explore alignment of cultural heritage data management practices with indigenous and other descendant community needs. This project will advance the capacity of cultural heritage institutions to curate data documenting the histories, landscapes, and cultures of diverse communities in an ethically responsible manner.