Survey of Data Collections: A Research Project Undertaken for the Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories

Abstract

This report draws together the findings of the Survey of Data Collections conducted in the APSR partner Universities in 2005. The information derived from the process is intended to feed into the next stage of APSR work, providing specific data for the design of software tools, development of repositories, assessment of risk and development of risk management approaches, implementation of preservation metadata and the development of supported formats. The survey of the collections was also developed to help characterise the types of data repositories, to determine if different sorts of data sets needed different facilities, technology or management. The process raised a number of issues which were covered in the survey questions and analysis. This was expected and where appropriate will inform the APSR process and identification of issues. The survey process has also helped to identify datasets with whom APSR will be able to undertake further sustainability investigations with other data sets.