Depositing data with the Archaeology Data Service (ADS)

The Archaeology Data Service archives, disseminates and catalogues high quality digital resources of long-term interest to archaeologists. Its geographical remit is to provide digital archiving facilities for all areas of the world in which UK archaeologists have research interests. The ADS collections scope is thus international. Archaeologists who are creating fieldwork and excavation digital archives are invited to consider archiving these resources with the ADS.

ADS staff are available to consult with potential depositors by mail or telephone during office hours (9-5 Monday to Friday).

Collections policy

The ADS Collections Policy document covers four main areas:

• Collections Development – focuses on the scope and nature of the content collected by the ADS.
• Collections Management – provides a framework for the administration, description and storage of digital data sets.
• Preservation – defines long-term strategies for the archiving of collections.
• Access and Use – specifies where and how the ADS collections may be used, and identifies primary users.

The policy document is available here:

• ADS Collections Policy

The Collections Policy document should also be read in conjunction with the ADS Sensitive Data policy:

• Guidance on the Deposition of Sensitive Digital Data

ADS charging policy

The ADS charging policy applies charging levels based on four elements of work: Management and Administration; Ingest; Dissemination; and Storage and refreshment. Emphasis on any of these four elements may differ according the nature of project. In addition day rates may vary. The charging policy is outlined in full here:

• ADS Charging Policy

Deposit formats

Although the information in these Guides has acted as the basis for ADS ingest and archiving processes, specific delivery formats and metadata are required by the ADS and are outlined in the guidelines here:

• ADS Guidelines for Depositors

Rights management

Although outlined in the Collections Policy, the ADS Copyright and Liability Statement and Common Access Agreement are also directly available here:

• Terms of Use and Access to ADS resources
• Website Terms Cookies Privacy Policy