ASSDA: A Trusted Digital Repository or a trusted digital repository

Abstract

Since 1981, The Australian Social Science Data Archive (ASSDA) at the Australian National University has been trusted by its designated community to preserve and redistribute social science data according to the wishes of the data creators and the needs of the community. ASSDA exists within its designated community, staff are trained within that community and all developments are guided by community leaders. Trust in ASSDA is strong, with deposition often being automatic and stipulated as essential by granting bodies like ARC. However, when using the Audit Checklist for the Certification of Trusted Digital Repositories (TDR) ASSDA has many challenges ahead, perhaps the greatest of which involves the funding cycles intrinsic to the university sector. This paper seeks to provide a case study of a digital repository and its issues for compliance to a TDR audit. Show more