Paper short abstract:

Access to collections and data is one of the most fundamental starting points for every humanities researcher. In 2018 access to information changed dramatically with the coming of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This paper is about the GDPR and the access to collections and data.

Paper long abstract:

Access to collections and data is one of the most fundamental starting points for every humanities researcher. In 2018 access to information changed dramatically in the European Union with the coming of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This paper is about issues regarding the GDPR and the access to collections and data. The collections of the Meertens Institute (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) will be presented as a use case.

The GDPR emphasizes the individual's rights to understand and control how their data is used. The impact of the GDPR for researchers and other users includes the:

1. ability to use data;

2. ability to transfer data;

3. requirements for storing data.

It also affects the collection and data departments of institutes, universities and museums. Most collections contain legacy data and the question on how to make collections meet with the new regulations is an issue. Within this setting the vast collections of the Meertens Institute are no exception.

The collections of the Meertens Institute concentrate on the diversity in culture and language in the Netherlands. Next to a wealth of information these collections contain all kinds of personal information such as religious information regarding research participants. This poses a challenge and this paper will address the following issues:

1. How does the GDPR affect the access of the collections and data.

2. How does the institute cope with the GDPR.

3. What is the impact of the GDPR on the use of the collections and data.

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