DataCite now has a mechanism built into Fabrica for designating a Repository account as an IGSN ID Catalog that will be used exclusively for the registration of IGSN IDs. This development ensures identification of Repositories and prefixes that are used for IGSN ID registration, and enables IGSN IDs to be tracked and identified. It also enables future updates to DataCite services and our Metadata Schema to be correctly applied to IGSN IDs.
In September 2022, we announced the launch of IGSN ID registration in DataCite DOI services. This exciting development opened up the opportunity for all DataCite Members and Consortium Organizations to assign persistent identifiers to any material samples that they or their communities collect and manage.
The DataCite Metadata Schema controlled vocabulary for resource types cannot currently distinguish an IGSN ID for a sample from a DOI for other physical objects at the record level. IGSN IDs are therefore identified at the Repository account and prefix level, and so it is important that when DataCite Members and Consortium Organizations want to register IGSN IDs they create at least one separate Repository account and prefix that is used solely to register IGSN IDs.
With no specific field in Fabrica to designate IGSN ID Catalog Repositories, they were originally labelled using the free-text ‘Description’ property. The process has now been standardized with the addition of ‘IGSN ID Catalog’ as an option within the ‘Type’ dropdown of the ‘Add Repository’ page. Selecting this option means that DataCite has a more automated way to monitor the adoption and usage of IGSN IDs, and enables us to reach out and help DataCite Members as they begin the process of registering PIDs for their material samples.
Dropdown field in the DataCite Fabrica Repository creation form allowing the selection of the ‘IGSN ID Catalog’ Type option
Note that once a Repository account has been saved with a designated Type—the default being ‘Repository’—it cannot be subsequently changed. Because this option has only now become available, we have updated the Type to ‘IGSN ID Catalog’ for all Repository accounts that we know were created specifically for IGSN ID registration. Please be sure to contact DataCite Support if you have created a Repository account for IGSN IDs for which the Type has not been updated to ‘IGSN ID Catalog’.
Correctly recognizing IGSN ID Catalogs is a crucial next step in our partnership with the IGSN e. V. to ensure that material samples are best supported in DataCite services and metadata.
Rorie Edmunds
