Princeton University Library is moving to a new model for research data ingestion, dissemination, discovery, and preservation. This replaces a monolithic legacy application that is no longer sustainable, and the new system that is emerging comes in the form of the Princeton Data Commons (PDC) ecosystem. Our team has taken a decoupled approach to supporting the research data lifecycle, from ingestion to publication, to preservation and discovery in the new, lean, service-focused applications PDC Describe (for ingestion/storage) and PDC Discovery (for dissemination/discovery). We have also undertaken a data migration model for moving existing research data objects out of the old system and into the new with a migration/re-description workflow that allows legacy research data content to be enhanced, receiving maximum benefits of the new system, including more suitable metadata schemas, improved file storage/serving, and better support for researcher identities and stable, unique identifiers. This presentation will detail the design and development of PDC Describe and Discovery, how they work with existing data, and what doors this new workflow model opens for future research data support enhancements.
