RESOURCE: Show Me the Data: New Practices for Historical Sources

An open-access article titled, “Show Me the Data: New Practices for Historical Sources,” has been published in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (2026). Authors Ruth Ahnert (Queen Mary University of London), Katherine McDonough (Lancaster University), and Daniel C. S. Wilson (University College London) explore the ecosystem of historical research data in the UK where cultural heritage collections are increasingly digitized and commercialized, posing numerous challenges to researchers in discovering, accessing, and using datasets increasingly locked behind paywalls or located in disparate repositories.

From the abstract:

Drawing on examples from major digital initiatives, we analyse the life cycle of historical research data and highlight the complex interplay of commercial, institutional and scholarly interests that shape access. We distinguish three types of data that emerge from historians’ typical engagements with digitised collections: derived, enhanced and aggregated data. We argue that historians must actively participate in the practices relating to the creation, maintenance and reuse of such data. This will involve new forms of citation, favouring open datasets, improving digital skills and building communities around shared resources.

The analyses provided in this article may be of interest to anyone working on cultural heritage collections as data, digital preservation, or research data infrastructure issues.