Paradata [‘pær.ə ‘deɪ.tə] Mass noun: From Ancient Greek παρά (pará) “beside” and the Classical Latin datum “that which is given”. Paradata is a word that has become synonymous with good practice in the field of Digital Cultural Heritage over the past few years, but where did the concept of Paradata within cultural heritage come from, what is its significance, how has it evolved, and why is it relevant to our field today? This paper aims to answer some of those questions through the author’s personal reflections on their relationship with developing Paradata as a concept and its use in current research practice.