DATA MAINTENANCE

Considering how the data collected will be maintained is an essential part of the data management process. Collecting and storing artist demographic information requires a commitment to preserve both the original form of the information and the significance of that information at the time it was collected, as well as to ensure the data is correct over time. Institutions must consider what is sustainable for them and should not underestimate the amount of digital labor required to steward this sensitive information.

• The work does not stop once you receive the data; the fluidity of the data requires ongoing maintenance programs to be built into your workflows. As discussed, identity is fluid and can change over time. Ensure your data can be updated, and the dates of any updates and the original information all recorded.

• Ensure there are paths to digital data literacy for staff working with this data, meaning there is: accessible documentation of policies and processes; regular review cycles for policies and processes; and training to understand why and how this data is being collected, managed, and used.

• All artist demographic data should be proactively reviewed (see Feedback and Updates).

○ Establish a regular interval for data review, e.g., every five years.

○ Utilize precipitating events— new acquisitions, exhibitions, etc.—to revisit the data recorded about an artist.

○ Track all feedback received.

• Consider how to store historical and problematic terms while still retaining and ensuring usability of the information. Also, keep in mind that language changes over time can shift the meaning of terms you have documented and require changes to your approach to demographic types (e.g., consider the changed meaning and general acceptability of the word “queer”).

• Maintain updates of any external vocabularies, thesauri, or authority files that provide names or terms used within your records.