Like Maria, examining borrowed data has not been my initial approach to designing a new research project. I appreciate Maria's insight that building a new project by discovering gaps and/or questions that emerge from current archives might be a generative approach. I wonder too if how we, as STS researchers, engage in archival research is shaped not only by our disciplinary affliations - for example, I imagine historian readily shape their work from archival interaction - but also by where we are in our professional development. I find that the emphasis for early-career scholars/students is so often on developing original or "new" research projects whereas starting from the archives reflects seasoned knowledge of the archival evidence available and the challenges/questions/gaps that emerge from this data.
