Paradata: Documenting Data Creation, Curation and Use

To make sense of data and use it effectively, it is essential to know where it comes from and how it has been processed and used. This is the domain of paradata, an emerging interdisciplinary field with wide applications. As digital data rapidly accumulates in repositories worldwide, this comprehensive introductory book, the first of its kind, shows how to make that data accessible and reusable. In addition to covering basic concepts of paradata, the book supports practice with coverage of methods for generating, documenting, identifying and managing paradata, including formal metadata, narrative descriptions and qualitative and quantitative backtracking. The book also develops a unifying reference model to help readers contextualise the role of paradata within a wider system of knowledge, practices and processes, and provides a vision for the future of the field. This guide to general principles and practice is ideal for researchers, students and data managers. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Isto Huvila is Professor in Information Studies at the Department of Archives, Libraries and Museums at Uppsala University. He is an interdisciplinary information studies scholar who has given numerous talks and published widely on information and knowledge management, information work, knowledge organisation, documentation, research data and social and participatory information practices. He has edited and co-edited books on paradata, research outside the academy, archaeological information work and digital literacy.

Lisa Andersson is a researcher at the Department of Archives, Libraries and Museums at Uppsala University, where she received her master's degree in library and information science in 2011 and her doctoral degree in 2017. Her research focuses on data and information management, including research data and information management systems, knowledge organisation and data descriptions, data publishing and use. She has published in library and information science journals as well as in cross-disciplinary journals in the fields of archaeology and digital humanities.

Zanna Friberg is a Ph.D. candidate in Information Studies at the Department of Archives, Libraries and Museums at Uppsala University. She holds a BA in archaeology and an MA in museum and cultural heritage studies. Some of her research interests include heritage collections, research data management, historical information systems and digitalisation in cultural heritage institutions.

Ying-Hsang Liu is a researcher in the Department of Archives, Libraries and Museums at Uppsala University. He specialises in interactive information retrieval, focusing on AI in human-computer interaction, human-centred data science and knowledge organisation. His expertise spans the design and evaluation of search systems. He co-edited 'Information and Knowledge Organisation in Digital Humanities: Global Perspectives' (2022).

Olle Sköld is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Archives, Libraries and Museums and the director of the Master's Programme in Digital Humanities at Uppsala University. His research is characterised by a broad interest in the ALM field, research data creation and use and digital humanities.