University of Victoria Dataverse
Collection
Deaccession Guidelines
Last Updated: January 15, 2025
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To provide guidelines about the deaccession, removal, or suppression of Datasets from the UVic Dataverse collection in Borealis, and to clearly identify the conditions or circumstances that determine how and when this occurs.
Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository: The instance of the Dataverse platform as a shared service provided in partnership with Canadian regional academic library consortia, institutions, research organizations, and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, with technical infrastructure hosted by Scholars Portal and the University of Toronto Libraries.
Collection: A collection is a container for Datasets (research data, code, documentation, and metadata) and other sub-collections, which can be setup for individual researchers, departments, journals and organization
Dataset: An organized collection of data in a computational format, defined by a theme or category that reflects what is being measured/observed/monitored. A Dataset can contain research data, code, and documentation and is accompanied by an associated metadata record.
Deaccession: To remove access to a Dataset or files, or to suppress, move, or delete the metadata, Dataset, or files.
Depositor: A user who submits a Dataset to a collection in Borealis. In most cases, the Depositor will be either an author of the submitted Dataset, a researcher collaborating with the author(s), or a librarian.
Institutional collection: Also known as a Dataverse collection. One or more collections in Borealis that are under the administration of a single university, academic library, or research organization. Each university in Borealis has an Institutional Collection that may contain other sub-collections and Datasets.
Currently, Borealis allows two levels of deaccession:
Institutional administrators can deaccession a Dataset (or a version of a Dataset):
A tombstone landing page with basic citation metadata and reason for deaccession will always be accessible to the public via the persistent URL (handle or DOI) provided in the citation.
End-users will not be able to see or access any files or additional metadata that were previous available prior to deaccessioning.
Files and metadata will be accessible to the Dataset administrators, curators, and contributors.
Super-administrators (Scholars Portal Staff) can destroy a Dataset for cases where there is spam or where the Dataset violates Terms of Use:
The Dataset will be deleted and no tombstone landing page will exist (the persistent URL, handle, or DOI, will not resolve).
Files and metadata will be deleted from storage.
The University of Victoria collection in Borealis is primarily a platform for publishing and sharing Datasets. It is not appropriate for the storage of highly sensitive or confidential data. Borealis does not accept deposits that could directly or indirectly identify a person or people, except where the release of such identifying information has no potential for constituting an unwarranted invasion of privacy and/or breach of confidentiality.
Published Datasets are perennial; they can be deaccessioned or removed only in certain specific circumstances. Requests for deaccessioning published Datasets are reviewed by Borealis administrators at the UVic Libraries with reference to these guidelines. In most cases, a tombstone marker with descriptive metadata about the Dataset will be retained for the public record.
Datasets published in the UVic Libraries’ collection in Borealis will be retained for a minimum of ten years, unless they have been deaccessioned by request (see below). After this period, Datasets will be subject to regular review and UVic Libraries reserves the right to deaccession or remove Datasets due to obsolescence, lack of use, duplication elsewhere, or for any other reason that UVic Libraries deems relevant
Depositors may request the removal of a Dataset they published or a published Dataset in a collection they manage within the UVic’s Dataverse collection. Such requests should be sent to askus@uvic.ca. The Borealis administrators at the UVic Libraries will review the request and any supporting information provided by the requestor and make a determination regarding the deaccession of the Dataset in question.
In the event that a third party requests the deaccession of a Dataset, the UVic Borealis administrators may consult with the Depositor or data creator. UVic Libraries will review the request and any supporting information provided by the requestor and make a determination regarding the deaccession of the Dataset in question.
When a Dataset is deaccessioned, the Libraries will send an email notification to the long-term contact person as defined in the descriptive metadata. In the event that the Dataset is deaccessioned and the designated person is not reachable, the appropriate faculty or administrative unit at the University will be notified. If requested, the Libraries will provide a copy of the dataset to the contact or designate.
Whenever possible a tombstone landing page with basic citation metadata and an explanation for the deaccession will be maintained.
It is the expectation that data deposited in the UVic collection be published and publicly accessible where possible. In the event that draft Datasets are created and left unpublished for more than 2 calendar years, the Libraries will contact the person who created the draft, or the contact person listed in the metadata. If, upon notification that the Dataset needs to be completed and submitted for publication, the person responsible does not complete and publish the Dataset, the Libraries reserve the right to delete the Dataset and any associated files from the UVic Borealis collection.
If the Libraries are unable to contact the Depositor or the contact person listed in the metadata, or if the Depositor has left the University with no forwarding contact information, the Libraries will delete the draft Dataset from the UVic Borealis collection
This document has been adapted from several sources, including:
The Borealis Institutional Collection policy templates developed by the Policy Task Group of the Dataverse North Expert Group
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