The University of Luxembourg welcomes Prof Christine L Borgman to lead this talk titled Big data, little data or no data? .
While the humanities have caught the “big data” wave, “little data” remains the norm in those many domains where evidence is scarce and labour-intensive to acquire.
Until recently, data was considered part of the process of scholarship, essential but largely invisible. In the “big data” era, data have become valuable products to be captured, shared, reused, and stewarded for the long term.
They also have become contentious intellectual property to be protected, especially in the humanities. Public policy leans toward open access to research data, but rarely provides the public investment necessary to sustain access.