Maynooth University Renews DRI Membership

The DRI and MU have enjoyed a longstanding and productive relationship since the repository’s inception. Maynooth University was part of the consortium of six academic partners which worked together to deliver the repository, policies, guidelines, and training during DRI's initial Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI) funding stage (2011-2015). MU have continued to contribute to the operational management of DRI through representation on the DRI Management Team, through collaborating on research projects, and through overseeing the Irish Qualitative Data Archive (IQDA), a central access point for qualitative social science data generated in or about Ireland. Professor Rob Kitchin of the Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI) is a current member of the DRI Board and MU provides the secondary or backup replication site for DRI’s servers.

Professor Linda Connolly, Director of MUSSI, welcomed the continuation of our progressive and fruitful relationship:

The Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute continues to strongly support and participate in the work programme of the DRI. The DRI is an indispensable resource for research and digital archive projects in Ireland across the social science and humanities.

DRI Director Natalie Harrower commented:

Maynooth University holds rich collections through its library, including The Teresa Deevy Archive and the Ken Saro-Wiwa collections, which were amongst the first collections deposited to DRI. As a founding member of DRI, Irish Qualitative Data Archive has shaped archival best practice for qualitative social science datasets, and continuously supports fascinating collections, including a rich early demonstrator for DRI, the Life Histories and Social Change collection. I am so pleased to continue this important relationship with MU, and welcome future partnerships and collaborations.

MU have been involved in the research and publication of many IQDA collections on DRI, most recently the ‘Repeal the Eighth and Reproductive Rights’ collection which contains 25 interviews with Repeal the Eighth activists. DRI will be working with MU throughout the year to preserve data related to research projects like the ‘RESCuE Project’, 'Enabling Resilience', and the ‘InHerIrishShoes’ dataset which will be deposited in partnership with the Wellcome Trust-funded DRI project ‘Archiving Reproductive Health’. We will also be providing digital preservation support for data that is in the process of being collected for developing research projects.  You can access an early video about the Life Histories collection here.

DRI looks forward to working with MU to preserve their culturally and socially significant collections over the coming months. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed for updates on collection publications!