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Who can become a Subscriber?
The subscription program is for institutions that hold or generate Indigenous cultural and scientific collections and data. Individuals who conduct research with Indigenous collections or data can also become a Subscriber. Institutions and researchers that are Subscribers can create an account on the Local Contexts Hub to generate Notices — to make visible Indigenous interests in collections, information, and data — and to support Indigenous communities’ application of Labels on collections and data — to support Indigenous Data Sovereignty and cultural authority.
Hub Account Types
An institution account is for a cultural or research institution, data repository, and other organization, typically not governed by an individual Indigenous or local community, that will use Notices and create Projects for the Indigenous collections or data they manage. An institution could be an archive, library, museum, historical society, gallery, data repository, university, or other organization. Institution accounts generate Notices.
A researcher account is for an individual who conducts research independently or within an institution, who will use Notices and create Projects for data, publications, and other outputs. Researcher accounts generate Notices.
Why should I become a Subscriber?
All institutions with Indigenous collections and data have a responsibility to firstly disclose the location of these materials and secondly to include Indigenous provenance, protocols, and permissions in the record. Institutions and researchers that operationalize the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, including implementation of the Indigenous Metadata Bundle and display of Local Contexts Labels and Notices, not only raise awareness of Indigenous data sovereignty but also enact pathways to take meaningful and productive action.
Subscriber benefits include the ability to use the Local Contexts Hub to create Projects, apply Notices, and invite Indigenous communities to add Labels. To see what benefits are included in each subscription size, see the table below.
The subscription model has been designed to acknowledge the violence perpetrated and perpetuated in the taking of Indigenous culture. This program is a core component of our work toward generational sustainability to ensure that the Hub can continue to be developed, maintained, and accessible to communities for free, and that communities continue to receive support and training.
The institution introductory letter template available on our Downloadable Resources page provides additional information that may be helpful for sharing about Local Contexts with colleagues.
What are the responsibilities of a Subscriber?
Subscribers are responsible for completing the Subscriber Agreement, maintaining their Hub contact information, and ensuring their account integrity.
What are the subscription fees?
The current subscription model underwent multiple iterations since 2022 in response to constituent feedback. An internationally diverse range of institutional staff and individual researchers shared what would and would not be feasible for their context, which has resulted in a program that includes flexible subscription options and no fees for individual researcher subscriptions.
Subscription fees are based on our goals to balance staff effort while building connections that further Indigenous data sovereignty.
All changes to fees are reviewed and approved by our Council, and per our Subscriber Agreement, we will provide at least 60 days notice of any Agreement changes.
Indigenous-led and Indigenous governed organizations that serve multiple Indigenous communities may qualify for a 50% discount on our institutional subscription program. Please reach out to subscriptions@localcontexts.org to inquire about this program and whether your institution may qualify.
Collections Care Notices subscriptions and Researcher subscriptions have no associated fee.
| Subscription Type and Annual Fee | Users with Admin/Editor Permission | API Keys | Projects | Notices and Labels | Notifications |
| Individual Free | 1 | 0 | 10/yr | Unlimited | 12/yr |
| Small US$1250 | 3 | 1 | 15/yr | Unlimited | 24/yr |
| Medium US$5000 | 5 | 3 | 30/yr | Unlimited | 30/yr |
| Large US$10,000 | 10 | 5 | 50/yr | Unlimited | 50/yr |
| User Bundle | 5 @ US$1500 | ||||
| API Bundle | 3 @ US$1500 | ||||
| Project Bundle | 10 @ US$1500 | ||||
| Notification Bundle | 10 @ US$1500 |
What is included in a subscription?
All paid institutional subscriptions include the ability to add Administrators (Admins) and Editors, create Projects, access API keys to integrate Local Contexts Notices and Labels into systems and workflows, and issue notifications to Indigenous communities to invite their application of Labels. Notices and Labels that have been applied within the Hub have unlimited use within usage guidelines. All paid institutional Subscribers also have the option to add bundles for additional Users, API keys, Projects, or notifications.
Users and API keys are a set amount per subscription tier, unless a bundle is added. Projects and notifications are the maximum amount for the subscription tier selected per year, with the amount resetting to the selected tier quantity at the start of the new subscription year.
For more about what is included in a subscription, see the Subscriber Agreement.
FAQ
See new questions added to our Frequently Asked Questions page about these programs, and join our upcoming webinar to take your questions and feedback!
