Repository CARE takes time: data repository management and implementation of social justice principles towards ethical data sharing

Managers of institutional data repositories consistently navigate complex datasets, metadata, policies, and a wide array of ethical questions while fulfilling their primary mission: sharing research data as “open as possible and as closed as necessary.” The risks to the institution, and more importantly, to communities and individuals is significant when data contains information about, or created in partnership with, underserved and underrepresented groups. The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, which focus on collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, and ethics, is one of the best tools developed to guide processes to include indigenous and community data sovereignty in our systems and services. At the same time, adopting CARE and other forms of reparative justice for research data stewardship requires intentional, dedicated time for building relationships and establishing discourse to develop flexible solutions. These critical actions rarely fit within the framing of Western research practices. In this presentation we address implementation of practices like the CARE principles in connection with our roles as maintainers and administrators of three different institutional data repositories. Each devoted to open and ethical data sharing and stewardship, we share a goal to integrate and operationalize the principles, a need heightened by advances in big data, machine learning, and lack of diversity in many research fields. Through this dialogue we consider necessary reframing and continuous questioning of our repositories and support practices that will allow us to better serve people and communities.