RDAP Values

Advocacy – Data are valuable and important to research, scholarship, and society. We advocate for data management, sharing, curation, and preservation to be recognized, performed, and rewarded as normative components of research. We also advocate for the interests of information and data professionals who provide the technical and human expertise needed to make data management, sharing, curation, and preservation possible. Learn about requesting an official organizational advocacy response.

Diversity and Inclusion – We actively work to be a diverse and inclusive community where everyone is welcomed and valued equally, open dialogue is encouraged, and multiple perspectives are not only supported but desired. We support, encourage, and invest in one another, recognizing that we are stronger as a community for prioritizing and valuing diversity. Creating a truly diverse and inclusive community requires us to recognize how interlocking systems of power impact those who are most marginalized in society and to take action to correct these injustices (see RDAP Code of Conduct for more information). The RDAP Association is committed to building these values into our community and recognizes that this will be a process for continual improvement.

Teaching, Developing, and Learning – Expectations, environments, standards and tools for managing, using, sharing, curating, and preserving data are evolving rapidly, and in response or anticipation, we develop and teach best practices, tools, frameworks, and literacies. In conjunction, we actively promote or create opportunities for professional development to further our knowledge and expertise that are equitable and accessible to all.

Ethics – We recognize and embrace our ethical responsibilities as data and information professionals, and strive to ensure ethical practices are understood and followed when collecting, managing, using, sharing, and preserving data. We will work to give agency to the populations from which we collect data to avoid exploitation.

Integrity – RDAP leadership (Executive Board and chairs of action committees) strives to be transparent about the work we are doing within the RDAP Association through regular communications to our members and stakeholders. The Leadership team takes accountability for past, present, and future actions. We welcome and will provide space for members and stakeholders to actively participate in larger organizational discussions (see bylaws). We will hold our stakeholders and partnerships to the same level of accountability to ensure that the organization protects and respects its members.

Not-for-Profit – Profit motives do not drive this organization. Our revenue collection is driven by the needs of the community with the goal of operating the RDAP Association efficiently and effectively as a professional association.

Openness – We advocate for openness unless it would violate privacy or cause harm. This includes the open access, open data, open software, and open science / research movements.

Partnerships – Data management, sharing, curation, and preservation are multifaceted and complex endeavors that require individuals with a wide variety of knowledge, expertise, and perspectives. No one stakeholder group can successfully address all aspects of this work. Therefore, we support developing strong and mutually beneficial collaborations within our institutions, as well as with other organizations or agencies, whose mission and values intersect with our own.

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