Open access, data reuse and the "democratization of knowledge": the case of Italy

Summary

Open Access (OA) data publication can widen the quantity of data available to researchers and

scholars and thus can increase possibilities for cross-cultural comparisons. Low cost and ease of

access to data can make possible a “democratization of knowledge”. This paper examines the

archaeological community in Italy from the perspective of OA data publication in archaeology. OA

data publication in Italian archaeology is not widespread and it currently lacks standards on data

sharing that can enable reuse. Most crucially, however, licenses for data reuse strongly influence

opportunities for using data available through Web-based OA portals and information from different

Web sources. This situation is considered through a framework of actors involved in the production

of archaeological knowledge, namely, the Ministry of Culture, entrusted with the protection and

valorization of Cultural Heritage, Universities which are charged with research, and professional

archaeologists including free-lancers and those employed in private companies. Professional

archaeologists carry out the bulk of fieldwork in Italy, yet unlike Ministry archaeologists and those

at Universities, professional archaeologists cannot publish their work without authorization from the

Scientific Director, usually a Ministry Officer. Interest is growing in publishing field reports but

publication of data and its reuse remains limited.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Computational approaches in the practice of archaeology

Keywords

Spatial Coverage