Research Data Management

DMPs identify and organize data management strategies and practices for your exhibition. These include documenting and anticipating storage, sharing, and access requirements, identifying data sensitivity concerns, copyright and licensing issues, anticipated preservation plans, and resourcing requirements. Data description and metadata is a major component of all DMPs in order to improve the exhibition’s functionality.

The Library requires that exhibitions begin with a data management planning consultation so all parties can better understand the needs, capacities, and requirements of the exhibition. This DMP may include information from other DMPs associated with the project, but will guide the development of the exhibition itself. For questions and support on developing a DMP for your exhibition, please contact libdigitalproject@wlu.ca. For information on developing a DMP for other facets of your research project, including grant applications, please contact researchdata@wlu.ca.

Exhibition End-of-Life

“Planning with the end in mind” is a strategic component of all collections, exhibitions, and partnerships at the Laurier Library, including its hosted exhibitions. Exhibitions are hosted for a set period of time, determined in collaboration between the Library and the exhibition creator. Technical and operational planning for end-of-life, as well as resourcing, should be considered at project inception as well as through the life of the project itself.

Exhibition creators should have a clear understanding of their plans for when the exhibition closes:

• Exhibition end-of-life goals 
  • What are your intentions for your content when the exhibition closes?  Will you continue the exhibition elsewhere or look to archive its content?
• Archival plans 
  • Exhibition creators are responsible for finding a home for exhibition content after it closes. The Library can consult and advise on this matter, but it is not committed to archiving all exhibitions.
• Time allocation
  • Exhibition creators should plan from the beginning who will allocate the time to conduct this work with the Library and how it will be costed.
• Access vs Exhibition
  • Will the exhibition’s research data and content be archived for future use? Will platform files be included?  Will the platform be archived at all?  Will the exhibition continue to be presented?

A large part of end-of-life planning will be considered with the development of your data management plan (DMP) at project inception, but plans will evolve over time.

The Library will work with exhibition creators to identify workflows and help find potential homes for projects as exhibitions move toward end-of-life. These workflows and recommendations are unique to each project. They consider types of research content, technical infrastructure, audiences, and stakeholders. All work is guided by the spirit and practice of the FAIR Principles, CARE Principles, and OCAP principles.