DRUM meets the OSTP desirable characteristics of data repositories
DRUM can help you meet the data sharing requirements of federal grants, as it meets most of the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy OSTP desirable characteristics of data repositories. Each of the characteristics in the document are organized into four main themes and each section below lists the categories within that theme and how DRUM specifically meets these requirements:
Organizational infrastructure
Free and Easy Access:
DRUM is publicly accessible and free to submitters as well as users of the data. Practices and policies are in place for privacy and ethical practices regarding sensitive data.
Clear Use Guidance:
DRUM is publicly accessible and does not implement a data use committee; however, DRUM requires each submitter to select an open access license directing users on appropriate reuse of the data.
Risk Management:
DRUM abides by the robust policies, procedures, and standards of the University, including identifying appropriate data security level and system security level in order to apply the appropriate Information Security Standards for access and monitoring.
Retention Policy:
DRUM commits to a 10-year period of preservation that may be extended in accordance with University policy on research data management.
Long-term Organizational Sustainability:
DRUM is part of the University Libraries’ emerging digital preservation program, and managed according to industry best practices for stewardship.
Digital object management
Unique Persistent Identifiers:
A Handle is immediately created upon acceptance. When curation is complete, the submission is assigned a DataCite-generated DOI.
Metadata:
DRUM’s Data Collection policy states that “Data must include adequate documentation describing the nature of the data at an appropriate level for purposes of reuse and discovery. All data receive curatorial review and data that are incomplete or not ready for reuse may not be accepted into the repository”. The repository also uses Dublin Core discovery metadata.
Curation and Quality Assurance:
DRUM has five data curators with scientific, human participants, and geospatial expertise. DRUM also is a partner with the Data Curation Network, which expands the pool of expertise across the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Physical Science and Mathematics, Life Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and Engineering, through inter-organizational collaboration.
Broad and Measured Reuse:
Suggested dataset citation creation is facilitated with a Handle persistent link and then with a DOI once the dataset curation process is completed.
Common Format:
DRUM is an open repository where anyone can download files and metadata regardless of affiliation. When possible, research data in proprietary formats are accompanied by alternative open formats. Metadata is available through an API in JSON format.
Provenance:
DRUM allows versioning of records when substantial changes to a dataset are necessary. Curators also keep a log of changes made during curation.
Technology
Authentication:
Depositors are authenticated using UMN single sign-on, and their institutional identity is associated directly with their deposited objects, and with associated DOIs. Where available, we also associate depositor ORCiDs with deposited objects.
Long-term Technical Sustainability:
The University of Minnesota Libraries has invested in full-time staff roles in research data management, data curation, and digital preservation. We have in-house IT expertise and strong relationships with the University's Office of Information Technology, who host our infrastructure in their data centers. The University's Board of Regents recently approved construction of a new data center to open in 2026, ensuring that we will have access to state-of-the art hosting for many years to come.
Security and Integrity:
The integrated systems and hosting in use for DRUM are the same trusted enterprise tools that the University of Minnesota uses to secure student data and research data. We host our repository on-premise at the University where our systems are protected by robust firewall and network controls and monitored for unauthorized access. We ensure data integrity with checksum audits.
Storing human data
Fidelity to Consent:
DRUM collects consent forms, participant agreements, or information sheets that were presented to human participants prior to data collection. We assess the language for compliance with our human participant data policy and acceptance guidelines.
Security:
Not applicable - DRUM does not accept identifying human participant data.
Limited Use Compliant:
In addition to not accepting identifying human participant data, DRUM's terms of use state "The user will not make any use of data to identify or otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals discovered inadvertently or intentionally in the data."
Download Control:
Not applicable - DRUM only disseminates open access datasets
Request Review:
Not applicable - DRUM only disseminates open access datasets
Plan for Breach:
Our repository is subject to relevant University policies, and breach of those policies would be handled according to the related University procedures), such as Acceptable Use of Information Technology Policy, Information Security Policy, and Data Security Breach Policy.
Accountability:
DRUM is subject to the University’s Log Management Standard and the Authentication, Access, and Account Management Standard, among others.