Keys to managing Authorization:

• Create and maintain explicit rules and procedures around who is authorized to access which materials;
• Make rules and policies transparent to community members or others who may want to access materials;
• Authorization control is part of the workload of at least one institutional personnel role

Whatever systems you develop, it's important to make those systems explicit and shareable, and create them to be durable over time. This means establishing systems that are not connected to single individuals, but to some kind of project or institutional role. Whoever will be managing authorizations should not be put in a position such that community members can argue that they are being arbitrary and capricious in their decisions; and decisions about these issues should be managed in a way that is as open and clear as possible.

Keys to managing Discoverability:

• Materials are organized around a sound and consistently implemented metadata standard;
• Materials are stored to facilitate retrieval based on metadata;
• Metadata and retrieval records are maintained as part of the workload of at least one institutional role

Creating and managing metadata is one of the least glamorous jobs in language documentation, but it's one of the most important components of data management. As with authorization, management of discoverability should not be the sole responsibility of a single person, but should be done in a shared way, using a consistent and openly available system.

What if these Best Practices aren't feasible for your project?

• Find support and partnerships through community members – other TCUs, AIHEC, AILDI, Language Resource Centers, trusted others;
• Look for external partners and/or externally funded support (see Module 4 for more info!)
• Start small!

All of this might feel overwhelming and impossible. But don’t lose hope. Doing something is better than doing nothing, and it's OK to start small and work towards something bigger. There are lots of places to go to find support and assistance, but it is definitely a big job. You don't have to do these things perfectly to do them well. See the Resource Handout for more information about organizations who can provide support and guidance.