# storing

> process of creating digital replicas of items under investigation, research findings, software, services, or any form of media, ensuring their long-term accessibility through archiving, even if they are not necessarily made public

**Wikidata**: [Q123819222](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123819222)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/storing

## Summary  
**Storing** is the activity of creating digital replicas of research items, software, services, or any media so they remain accessible over the long term through archiving, even when the copies are not publicly released.

## Key Facts  
- **Instance of:** activity (Wikidata).  
- **Subclass of:** archiving – storing is a specific form of archiving focused on digital replicas.  
- **Parent class:** archiving (the broader practice of creating archives).  
- **Related field:** digital preservation – storing contributes to the formal effort of keeping valuable digital information trustworthy and usable.  
- **Aliases:** arhiving, digital storing, digital archiving.  
- **Tadirah identifier:** “storing” (tadirah_id) as defined by the DARIAH vocabulary (https://vocabs.dariah.eu/tadirah/storing).  
- **Purpose:** ensures long‑term accessibility of items under investigation or research findings, regardless of public availability.  
- **Scope:** applies to any form of media, including software, services, datasets, and research outputs.  

## FAQs  
### Q: What does “storing” mean in a research context?  
A: Storing is the process of making digital copies of research items or media and preserving them in an archive so they stay accessible over time, even if they are not shared publicly.  

### Q: How is storing different from general archiving?  
A: While archiving covers the overall creation and management of archives, storing specifically refers to the creation of digital replicas for long‑term access, often as part of digital preservation efforts.  

### Q: Must stored digital replicas be made public?  
A: No. Storing focuses on long‑term accessibility, which can be maintained internally or privately without public release.  

## Why It Matters  
Storing addresses a core challenge in modern scholarship: the fragility of digital research outputs. By producing reliable digital replicas and embedding them in archival systems, storing safeguards data against hardware failure, software obsolescence, and accidental loss. This ensures that future researchers can verify, reuse, or build upon earlier work, thereby enhancing reproducibility and cumulative knowledge. In fields where data sensitivity or proprietary concerns limit public sharing, storing still guarantees that the information remains usable for authorized stakeholders. Consequently, storing underpins the credibility of long‑term research programs, institutional memory, and cultural heritage preservation.  

## Notable For  
- **Explicit focus on digital replicas** rather than physical or mixed‑media archiving.  
- **Integration with digital preservation** initiatives, reinforcing trustworthiness and usability of stored content.  
- **Recognition in the Tadirah vocabulary**, providing a standardized term for interdisciplinary research workflows.  
- **Flexibility** to store both public and private materials while still ensuring future accessibility.  
- **Broad applicability** across software, services, datasets, and any media type under investigation.  

## Body  

### Definition  
- Storing is defined as the *process of creating digital replicas of items under investigation, research findings, software, services, or any form of media*, with the goal of long‑term accessibility through archiving.  
- The activity does **not require** that the replicas be made public; accessibility can be limited to authorized users.  

### Relationship to Archiving  
- Archiving is the parent class encompassing all practices of creating and maintaining archives.  
- Storing is a **subclass** that narrows the focus to the digital dimension, emphasizing reproducibility and durability of electronic objects.  

### Role in Digital Preservation  
- Digital preservation aims to keep valuable digital information **accessible, trustworthy, and usable** over time.  
- Storing contributes directly by generating stable digital copies that can be managed, migrated, and validated within preservation workflows.  

### Implementation Tools (Illustrative)  
- While the concept of storing is tool‑agnostic, it is commonly realized through platforms such as **DataTank**, **DEVONthink**, **HAL**, **Specify Collections Management Software**, and **Filecamp**, all of which support the creation, organization, and long‑term maintenance of digital assets.  
- These systems provide version control, metadata management, and secure storage, aligning with the storing activity’s objectives.  

### Tadirah Vocabulary Context  
- The term appears in the **Tadirah (Tailored Digital Research) vocabulary** with the identifier *storing* (tadirah_id).  
- This inclusion standardizes the activity across digital humanities and research infrastructures, facilitating shared understanding and interoperability.  

### Practical Considerations  
- **Metadata:** Accurate descriptive metadata is essential to locate and interpret stored replicas later.  
- **Format Choice:** Selecting open, well‑documented file formats enhances future readability.  
- **Access Controls:** Permissions can be configured to keep stored items private while still preserving them.  

## Schema Markup  
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "storing",
  "description": "Activity of creating digital replicas of research items or media to ensure long‑term accessibility through archiving, even when not publicly released."
}

## References

1. [Source](https://vocabs.dariah.eu/tadirah/storing)