The Records Data Ecosystem in Humanities and Human Sciences Scholarship

Abstract

This conceptual article considers data used in the humanities and the human sciences, which are fundamentally different from data in other disciplines, such as the sciences or medicine.Data in the humanities are, however, equally important to study and understand. Humanists and others studying human artifacts often face the dual challenge of both using primary source records (or evidentiary) data and creating records data-non-computational, nonexperimental data, such as those found in manuscripts, websites, and social media. This process generates a complex research data ecosystem that has not previously been studied in the library and information science literature. To support records data work effectively, academic librarians must recognize the nature of the humanities and human sciences data ecosystem and must work with researchers accordingly.

Humanities Scholars' Understanding of Data and the Implications for Humanities Data Curation

“…The emphasis on authorship calls for accountable data curation that prioritizes provenance to foster trust in data reuse. Tools and resources to facilitate proper data documentation are also needed (Moulaison-Sandy & Wenzel, 2023;Tóth-Czifra, 2019a) curate tertiary sources for their wider use in the digital environment (Palmer, 2005), and more established scholarly communication mechanisms are needed to encourage the curation of these resources. Building on this exploratory work, future studies can systematically summarize humanities data types and characteristics, aiming for a more rigorous conceptualization.…”

“…This work investigates how humanities scholars across disciplines conceptualize humanities data and its unique characteristics. Many define data by formats, but also consider texts or sources as data if used as evidence (Borgman, 2015), research objects (Moulaison‐Sandy & Wenzel, 2023), quotations, or dialogue objects. This role‐based conceptualization helps distinguish data from publications (Borgman, 2008; Gualandi et al, 2022).…”

“…Despite attempts by funding agencies and scholars, a consensus on data definition remains elusive (Poole, 2016; NEH, 2019). Humanities data can include any record of human activity or publication, particularly when they become study objects (Moulaison-Sandy & Wenzel, 2023), but the boundary between data and publication is obscured (Borgman, 2008). Research has explored characteristics of humanities data, including data formats, levels of processing, multilingualism, and shared ownership (Borgman, 2015;Flanders & Muñoz, 2012;Tóth-Czifra, 2019b).…”

Analysing humanities scholars’ data seeking behaviour patterns using Ellis' model

“…An increasing number of humanities studies are embracing a more data-driven approach (Borgman, 2010;Schroeder, 2014), expanding their research materials from traditional sources to encompass diverse forms of data, including texts, images, videos, databases, artefacts, and even algorithms (Flanders and Muñoz, 2012;Moulaison-Sandy and Wenzel, 2023). Consequently, new forms of humanities scholarly activities are emerging, extending beyond information seeking and use, but also data collection, processing, and analysis (Anderson et al, 2010;Pacheco, 2022;Palmer et al, 2009).…”