In collaboration with Henk Alkemade, Giovanni Colavizza, Nuno Freire, Jörg Lehmann, Clemens Neudecker, Giulia Osti and Daniel van Strien, Steven Claeyssens has published a paper about the use of datasheets for digital cultural heritage. The paper includes a proposal for a datasheet template that has been adapted for use in cultural heritage institutions.
Datasheets are used to provide context and information about (the use of) datasets. The idea of using datasheets originated in the machine learning community, where lack of proper documentation for datasets has sparked serious issues. Datasheets can help avoid these issues by providing information about the collection process, recommended uses, and potential societal biases in the data.
Because digital cultural heritage datasets are marked by specific characteristics that are different from standard machine learning datasets, it is worthwhile to explore the use of datasheets in this domain. The paper offers several recommendations for creating relevant and responsible digital cultural heritage datasets.
The paper is the result of a Working Group, set up within the Europeana Research Community and EuropeanaTech Community.
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