Conference Theme

AI, austerity, and authoritarianism: contemporary challenges in digital curation 

The theme of this year’s conference recognises the effect contemporary forces are having on digital curation practices. 

We invite consideration on how these forces affect the work of the digital curation community and steps we take to stay resilient. 

We are interested in risks, opportunities and challenges from Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in producing data for curation, supporting curation processes, and reusing curated data; from limited or reduced funding available for digital curation actions; and in acts of hostility from governments or corporations to the integrity, preservation, long-term access, and reuse of data. 

While recognising the financial and political challenges the contemporary environment presents, the call is also open to optimism through examples of resilience and resistance in digital curation activities to sustain momentum in open scholarship and promote social change. 

Contributions are welcome on any aspect of digital curation work, but we invite work focused around one or more of the following themes: 

• Creating and sustaining communities for curation support and development 
• Curating complex data 
• Curation challenges and opportunities from Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning 
• Data Management Plans for the next generation of research 
• Data sovereignty and trusting people and communities to have power over their own data and its (re)use 
• Developing new curation tools and services 
• Effective training for delivering curation knowledge and skills 
• Environmental sustainability of curation services and actions 
• Evaluations of existing curation tools 
• Financial sustainability of curation services and actions 
• Identifying curation knowledge and skill needs 
• Innovation in curation methods 
• Innovations in training content and delivery 
• Large-scale curation service delivery 
• Movements in open research and data rescue 
• Work on the costs and benefits of curation 
• Working with and sharing sensitive data