Data Services for Indigenous Scholarship and Sovereignty

The Data Services for Indigenous Scholarship and Sovereignty (DSISS) project is based at the Information School at the University of Washington and funded by the Mellon Foundation. DSISS responds to the imperative for Indigenous data governance and sovereignty and the groundswell of activity on the ethical care and stewardship of digital Indigenous data. We are developing guidance for libraries and repositories on how to implement Indigenous data principles within their existing research data services (RDS) through an Indigenous Data Services Framework that will include customizable policies, protocols, and practical strategies for guaranteeing protections for Indigenous data.

The framework will be aligned with Indigenous scholarly practices and the CARE principles (Collective benefit, Authority and control, Responsibility, and Ethics) through iterative engagement and development with Indigenous scholars, librarians, metadata specialists, and experts in data curation and infrastructure for sensitive data. A prototype based on the Qualitative Data Repository platform will be developed and assessed for application in university libraries. The DSISS framework and prototype will set the ethical and technical foundation for RDS to support the unique research methods and principles of data sovereignty integral to Indigenous scholarship and knowledge, while advancing Indigenous perspectives, values, and protocols within data services in libraries and repositories.

The DSISS proposal provides further background and details on the team and work plan, available on the About DSISS page.