This page is no longer updated, it represents the status on 31st March 2008
This page provides information on the relationship between the AHDS and the AHRC
The Arts and Humanities Data Service is a UK national service funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee and Arts and Humanities Research Council to collect, preserve and promote re-use of the electronic resources which result from research in the arts and humanities. It encourages research and educational use of its collections and makes information about them available through its online catalogues.
The AHDS is a geographically distributed service comprising a managing Executive and a number of AHDS Centres devoted to archaeology, history, literary, linguistic and other textual studies, the visual arts, and the performing arts. Our Centres collect, preserve, catalogue, and distribute digital resources which are relevant to their subject areas, facilitate good practice in their creation and use, and offer a range of user services and training. The Executive co-ordinates the work of the AHDS Centres, ensures the development of coherent collection, curatorial, training and user services policies and takes responsibility for all Service-wide initiatives. As the AHDS Centres do not cover the full range of arts and humanities disciplines, the Executive also co-ordinates advice and the deposit of electronic resources in disciplines outside the scope of current AHDS Centres.
The AHRC and the AHDS have formed a strategic partnership to promote their shared aims with regard to the application of computers and information technologies (C&IT) in the arts and humanities. This partnership forms part of the AHRC's policy dealing with the use of C&IT. For more information see the ICT in Arts and Humanities Research pages on the AHRC's website.
For further information on the AHDS/AHRC relationship please contact the AHDS advice team.
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The Access and Preservation of Digital Data
The creation of electronic resources as a product (or by-product) of funded research often represents a substantial investment of public funding and scholarly work by the data creator. Creating electronic resources together with the ability to generate, easily amend and copy information in digital form; to search text and databases; and transmit information rapidly via networks world-wide can provide substantial benefits to the research community. At the same time electronic resources are highly dependent on impermanent media and technologies and their contents are easily destroyed when poorly managed or rendered obsolete by rapidly changing hardware and software. Similarly electronic resources can be difficult to locate online or to search and browse seamlessly with related resources.
The AHDS has been established in the UK to provide a service for the preservation and provision of integrated access to electronic resources in the arts and humanities and is supported in this work by the AHRC. As part of its partnership with the AHRC, the AHDS offers a number of services to AHRC funded data creators and depositors:
- Archival and Distribution Management Services
- Long-term Preservation of Resources
- Free Promotion and Publicity for Scholarly Resources, using well-established and recognised channels
For AHRC grants awarded where a significant product or by-product is the creation of an electronic resource, it is a condition of award that data created as a result of the research, together with documentation, should be offered for deposit at the AHDS, within three months of the end of the project. In order to assist award-holders to deposit their data, the Council allows a time period within the award, and adequate funding, for the preparation of data for archiving, including preparation of adequate documentation. Data offered for deposit with the AHDS is evaluated according to criteria designed to assess their fit within the AHDS collections and may be accepted or a waiver of deposit agreed. Should any problem relating to the deposit of the data be foreseen, applicants should contact the relevant member of the AHDS advice team.
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The advice offered by the Arts and Humanities Data Service is designed to cover the "how" element of projects which will create an electronic resource. Various published materials cover the three aspects of this:
- Data Creation
- Access and Delivery
- Data Deposit and Preservation
This advice is offered in various forms:
Our Publications:
- The AHDS has created a series of Guides to Good Practice focusing on the practical needs and necessary standards which are required to make a successful digital resource. Some of these are subject-based, while others cover cross-disciplinary topics. There are also various related leaflets in the Good Practice Series.
- Visitors may also be interested in Case Studies which review various projects that are creating or completing digital resources in the arts and humanities. Various issues, from funding, preservation, to teaching, are covered.
- Information Papers related to workshops the AHDS runs for those completing the technical appendix can be read online. These are not focussed on any particular subject area but rather deal with the various aspects (e.g. project management, metadata) of a digitisation project.
AHDS Workshops:
- The AHDS and its Centres offers various workshops and events which give further advice to those interested in creating, maintaining and using digital archives. A chronology of future events, and examples of past events are available from this link.
By Phone or Email:
- Individual AHDS Centres are happy to discuss particular elements of a digitisation project. This is true whatever the stage of the project - conception, commencement, or completion.
For those that want specific help with the composition of AHRC technical appendices, applicants are advised to get in touch with the relevant AHDS Centre at least a month, and preferably earlier, before the final submission date.
Our Web pages:
Our website contains a range of other information relevant to AHRC grant applicants. Those that need to consider issues with depositing and preserving data in their applications and projects should look at the following:
- Depositing Data with the AHDS
- In addition we will provide advice and feedback to applicants on specific issues and concerns not covered in our published advice and guidance. Please note however we work within funding limits and cannot provide extensive advice or consultancy to projects as part of our core funded activities. Applicants who need additional advice should contact the appropriate AHDS Centre for their discipline or the AHDS Executive.
Areas where we may not be able to help (and alternative local support services) principally cover the "what" element of the proposed project, particularly those elements depending on local infrastructure and support or costings for this. For advice in such areas please contact your local institutional services such as
- Research and Business Development Offices
- Finance Offices
- Computing Services
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1) At what stage in my project should I approach the AHDS for advice? As soon as possible. The sooner you know about the options available to you, the easier it will be to address and cost correctly all the elements of a bid for electronic resource creation, including equipment, training, preservation strategies etc.
2) My proposed project is multi-disciplinary - with which Subject Centre should I make contact? In the first instance please contact Alastair Dunning at the Executive who will co-ordinate advice and potential deposit arrangements from across the Service for your subject area(s), or your data type(s).
3) My subject area is not covered by your current list of AHDS Centres - to whom should I talk? Please contact Alastair Dunning at the Executive who will co-ordinate potential deposit arrangements and advice to you using relevant expertise either within or outside the AHDS.
4) Who holds copyright in data deposited with you? Copyright remains with the original copyright holder (often the creator of the data or his employer), and the data is deposited with the AHDS under a non-exclusive licence. Further details are available in the AHDS Rights Management Framework. For further, more general information on copyright, please refer to our document Copyright FAQ
5) The Guidelines say I have to offer my resource for deposit with the AHDS, but if I already have a safe home for my data why should I have to do this? Deposit with the AHDS provides a guarantee to the AHRC that the long-term preservation of and future access to your resource have been addressed. There are relatively few institutions who have made provision for long-term preservation of electronic resources or have addressed the issue of ensuring that such resources can interoperate with other digital collections. Safe custody alone (back-up or "archiving" of data) will not address the migration, documentation and authenticity issues involved in digital preservation. The AHDS works closely with other national institutions who are preserving and providing access to digital resources. Where deposit is more appropriate with such an institution we may agree a waiver or variation of deposit terms with you.
6) The application deadline is looming but I have just realised how complex and time consuming it will be to fill in the Technical Appendix. What can I do? Have you considered a smaller, pilot bid, which would be a good way to assess the best implementation of your project?
7) Can you give me specific advice on which software to choose? We will provide information about all the standards and facilities to look out for in a good piece of software, in terms of interoperability and "future proofing" for your data. We may also be able to discuss with you the general merits of particular software and standards for your specific project aims as required.
8) Can you give me specific advice on costing a project? The AHDS is unable to offer advice on the potential cost (and timings) of digitisation projects, whether this relates to software, hardware or the process of data capture. Applicants should consult their institution's own research or finance offices, or the relevant computer services. The HEDS resource, Costing a Digitisation Project may also be of assistance.
9) How much feedback will you be able to give me if my bid is unsuccessful? The AHRC has a policy of full disclosure and feedback to unsuccessful applicants. You will see gradings for the proposal and details of both any technical appraisal or other comments from referees.
10) If I'm not eligible for AHRC funding, what other sources of funding can you recommend? There are a wide-range of potential funding sources depending on the nature of your research or digitisation work. In the first instance contact your business development or research grants officer if you are based in a Higher Education Institution. You should also consider joining AHDS-ALL, the AHDS email list on Jiscmail, which will post details of a wide range of new funding and calls for proposals and other news relevant to the AHDS user community.
11) I don't have an HE affiliation - can I still ask you for advice about resource creation? The AHDS actively seeks partnership with individuals and institutions outside HE and seeks to promote best practice in collaboration with other sectors. Our Guides to Good Practice and Information Papers series of publications are therefore freely available on the Web and provide advice on resource creation and management which are widely applicable to those working in other sectors. If the resource you wish to create has potential value for research or teaching in HE we would be happy to consider the potential for further partnership and individual advice to the project. A number of future AHRC schemes will also aim to encourage research exchanges and partnerships between HE and institutions in other sectors. The AHDS will post relevant announcements of new AHRC schemes to the AHDS-ALL list and will keep you up-to-date via the news section on the main area of the AHDS website.
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Page last modified: 16th December 2005 by Alastair Dunning