Legacy or heritage data is critical for advancing science and humanities, but most of this data remains in analog or older electronic forms that are not suited well for new forms of data analysis and modeling. The RDA communities have been keenly aware of that as they tried to advance data rescue initiatives through the Data Rescue interest group that concluded in 2019, a new pending Data Conservation interest group, and other related activities. This BoF is complementary to these efforts as its main goal is to reignite the international interest in the topic of legacy data and to challenge the data communities to further explore the value and potential of legacy data for catalyzing new research across disciplines and sectors. As the BoF follows a range of successful activities that happened at RDA in the past, existing community need and interest are confirmed.

In addition to the crucial topics of how to prioritize which data to rescue and how to seek resources for these efforts, this BoF will contextualize the discussion in questions of equity and inclusivity, particularly considering international stakeholders. How can we make legacy data curation less extractive and share the benefits globally? For example, Costa Rica is especially rich in biodiversity, and as a result, many international scientists have collected “valuable” data there throughout the history of modern science. Does such data in this and other locations benefit local communities and scholars? How can collaboration support curation and access for communities worldwide? We will conscientiously reflect on the geographical and cultural context of the meeting locale itself while discussing these topics.

The objectives of this meeting are as follows:
1. Further establish community needs for legacy data curation in different contexts through structured discussion and feedback from expert participants.
2. Identify common challenges and best practices in managing legacy data.
3. Discuss approaches for extracting value and insights from historical datasets.
4. Develop recommendations for international models of collaboration in legacy data curation.

We will set the stage by presenting two legacy data case studies in political science and astronomy that represent international contexts and highlight challenges and opportunities for curation. Additional presentation(s) will be invited from among BoF participants to further set the stage for discussions. The organizers will also reach out to co-chairs of the following groups and ask for their contributions: Data Conservation IG, Libraries for Research Data IG, Collections as Data IG and Engaging Researchers with Data IG.

Building upon these presentations, we will engage the audience in the discussion guided by the following questions: 1) how the value of legacy data is perceived and constructed across research, professional, and local communities; 2) who is involved in legacy data preservation efforts in these contexts, and 3) what forms of collaboration work best in curating and preserving legacy data for the betterment of society.

Introduction – 5 min
– Overview and introduction, relevant RDA activities
Case study overview
– Political science (common-pool resource databases) – 5 min
– Astronomy (migration of magnetic tape data to community archive) – 5 min
Invited lightning talks – 10 min
Structured group discussions (small groups or whole group depending on space)
– Legacy data experiences (success and failures) – 20 min
– Disciplines, institutions, and local communities – 20 min
– Scenarios for collaborative strategies – 15 min
Summary and next steps – 10 min