Data Management Plan for the personal collection of Prof. Emeritus Elizabeth Carter, PhD UCLA Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC)

1. Data Management Plan
for the personal collection of Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Carter
PhD, UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC)
Cherin Lim & Elizabeth Meyers

2. Research
● Dr. Elizabeth Carter
● Near Eastern Archaeology
● Majority of research work done in Turkey, Iran, Iraq
○ development of complex human societies
○ early urbanism
○ reconstruction of cultural histories

3. Data
● Volume
○ Covers a period from 1995 to 2008
○ Domuztepe excavation data uploaded on Open Context site (24,297 records)
○ Total records: approx. 70,000
● Velocity
○ Limited, sparse (due to deep-rooted culture within field of archaeology)
○ Open Context hopes to change this
● Variety
○ Primary field records of archaeological excavations and surveys
● Formats
○ Photos, maps, spreadsheets, databases
○ Physical artifacts from Iraq*
○ Detailed fieldwork composed of text, photographs, and drawings (includes maps)
○ Data from other researchers:maps, articles, field reports

4. Data - Basis of Prof. Carter’s physical collection
Field notebooks & conservation notebooks
Visual slides
Still image film
Oversize maps/drawings Handwritten notes
Artifacts

5. Metadata
● Metadata will be individually tailored by each
repository to meet the specifications implemented
by YRL Special Collections and Open Context
● Open Context implements various metadata schema
to meet the needs of the various forms of
archaeological data hosted on their website
Taken from Open
Context’s own DMP

6. Open Context’s implementation of metadata

7. Data Related Policies
● Archaeology has limited data related policies
● Based on initial research, archaeological sharing of data is restricted usually on a case by case
method; largely due to the high variability of excavation site conditions (size, value, fame, etc.) and
legal factors unique to individual countries and geopolitical regions
● Primary complicated data is that related to mapped geolocations, as this information can be
sensitive for a variety of reasons (related to indigenous populations, politically unstable region,
looting risks, local policy restrictions, etc.)
● Open Context’s standard practices involve working one on one with individual research projects
to determine the appropriate level
In order to make a final determination of the possible restrictions pertinent to Prof. Carter’s data,
discussions between the DMP team and Deidre Whitmore, the Digital Archaeology Lab Manager
here at UCLA’s Cotsen Institute, who specializes in policies and practices related to the digital
sharing of archaeological data→ Recommendations provided by her will be worked into the final
Digital Management Plan report

8. Long-term Storage
● Physical objects will be housed
and preserved at YRL Special
Collections
● Digital data will be maintained
and managed by Open Context

9. Responsible parties
Professor Carter
-Legal owner of the
collection and its contents -
Lead coordinator between
the data collection and the
repositories
Open Context
Primary organization that
will permanently manage
and preserve Prof.
Carter’s digital data
YRL Special
Collections
Designated repository for
Prof. Carter’s physical
collection
Data Management Plan
Responsibility of an effective data management plan will be distributed
amongst all three parties. Each will carry out tasks specific to their
organizational goals

10. Budgetary Information & Timeline
● Budget*
○ Data cleaning, processing, and publishing costs for years 1995-1999
of Domuztepe site’s data
: Approx. $6000✝
● Timeline*
○ Initial Domuztepe project: 1.5 people; 120 hours to publish data
○ Professor Carter: 2 year firm deadline
✝This figure is simply the estimated cost of the work that Open Context would normally charge for this kind of project. This is therefore more a valuation of the
cost necessary to transfer the remaining data to Open Context, it is not necessarily the realized budget (useful for possible grant writing purposes).
*Based on estimates provided by Sarah & Eric Kansa
*Further discussions with YRL Special Collections and Open Context will more solidly define certain elements of the timeline

11. Open Context’s Pricing
Structure Guidelines

12. Rough Timeline Structure
2019
Prof. Carter
commissions Data
Management Plan
Goal is to openly share all of
her collection’s data
20XX
Digital Management
Plan Devised
Collection elements/needs and
ongoing requirements to
achieve Prof. Carter’s goal
assessed and determined
20XX
DMP tasks put into
action
Prof. Carter coordinates with
YRL Special Collections and
Open Context to carry out the
collection’s data organization
and formatting relevant to
each repository
2021/2022
Prof. Carter’s collection
must be completely
cleared from her lab
All of Prof. Carter’s materials
have a firm deadline to be
removed from Prof. Carter’s
lab space

13. THANK YOU