Understanding how to manage data as a record is a key consideration for information managers and digital archivists, but for many of us data remains a complex format to use, appraise and preserve. Join Duncan Loxton and Julia Mant as they tease out the latest thinking in data management, through a series of conversations with experts in data governance, access and archiving. This dynamic panel session will cover 3 main topics with 6 guests and plenty of opportunity for audience questions:

Panel 1
If “Data is any information in a form capable of being communicated, analysed or processed (whether by an individual or by computer or other automated means)”, is there really a difference between data and information governance? We seek to tease out the differences between managing data and information, and who has the ultimate responsibility for its preservation.

Panel 2
The Data Transparency and Availability Act in 2022 promotes better availability and use of government data, but how well does it support accountability and recordkeeping? What data practices might it incentivise? And how might it influence data sharing in other sectors? We’ll seek guidance from privacy experts and data custodians on the implications for data sharing.

Panel 3
The promise of data as a utility belies the resourcing and governance required to make its long term storage and use practicable. An OECD report concluded that financial sustainability is an essential attribute of any trusted data repository, but what else plays a part? How important is community endorsement to the sustainability of data repositories? And what role does technology play in this context? In this pragmatists’ session, hear from our panellists about what it will take to sustain data long term and how we might justify it.