The LIS role in RDM
Session 1.3
Sep-2012
RDMRose: Research Data Management for LISSession 1 Introductions, RDM, and the role of LISSession 1.3 The LIS role in RDM
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Learning outcomes
• At the end of this session you will be able to:– Analyse your own role in relation to what the
literature has suggested about LIS roles in research support and RDM in particular
– Identify RDM Library initiatives from other institutions and assess how they could be adapted at your institution where appropriate
Sep-2012 Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Session overview
• The liaison role• Roles to support research• RDM roles• Why librarians might have an important role• Challenges
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
The liaison role
• Collection development • Information literacy
training • Enquiry handling• Marketing• Committee work• Informal networking• Strategic influence• Management roles
• Facilitator• Collector• Liaison• Collaborator• Service provider• Adviser• Expert• Gatekeeper • Change agent• Leader• Maven• Teacher• Helper• Counsellor
Sep-2012
Library roles to support research• Offering advice on funding sources• Embedded or support roles conducting literature reviews or current
awareness alerts for research projects or groups• Information literacy training• Supporting REF• Bibliometrics and measuring impact• Bibliographic software training• Advocacy for open access / institutional repository• Offering data analysis advice• Offering advice on copyright issues• Offering advice on archiving of research records (e.g.
correspondence) Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose Dec-2012
Possible Library RDM roles• Leading on local (institutional) data policy• Bringing data into undergraduate research-based learning, promoting data
information literacy• Teaching data literacy to postgraduate students• Developing researcher data awareness• Providing researcher data advice, e.g. on writing Data Management plans or advice
on RDM within a project • Explaining the impact of sharing data, and how to cite data• Signposting who in the institution should be consulted in relation to a particular
question• Auditing to identify data sets for archiving or RDM needs• Developing and managing access to data collections• Documenting what datasets an institution has• Developing local data curation capacity• Promoting data reuse by making known what is available
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose Dec-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
ACTIVITY 1.3.1Potential RDM roles for LIS
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Activity 1.3.1 Potential RDM roles for LIS professionals
• What could you do tomorrow?• Which roles fit best with how you work now /
existing professional practices?• Which roles might the library wish to avoid
taking on?
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
ACTIVITY 1.3.2Where does RDM fit into your role?
Sep-2012
Activity 1.3.2 Where does RDM fit into your role?
• Briefly describe your current role.• Which aspects of your job mean most to you? • Which aspects of support to research relate
closest to you? Are you already doing some of the things listed on slide 5?
• Which aspects of RDM support (as listed on slide 6) relate closest to you?
Sep-2012 Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Why librarians might have an important role because of
• Their knowledge of and networks within disciplinary communities; their liaison and negotiation skills
• The strong LIS professional network to copy best practice across institutions
• Their contact with many students and researchers in a way other support services do not
• Their generic knowledge of good information management practices– Understanding that research data management as a form of
Information Literacy
• Their existing data and open access leadership roles• Relevance of collection development practices; their
understanding of metadata Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose Dec-2012
Challenges• We are already over-taxed!
– Other challenges in supporting research (Auckland, 2012)– Getting up-to-speed and keeping up-to-date
• How deep is our understanding of research, especially scientific research and our level of subject knowledge?
• Complexity and scale of issues– Marked disciplinary differences in information practice– Goes wide and deep: to every researcher in our institution
• Translating library practices to research data issues• Will researchers look to libraries for this support? Historic
failure to engage researchers in library services– Computing services, Research support services
• Resources, infrastructure, management structures have to be found Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Roles in RDM (See sources section for sources)
Dec-2012
Role Alignment with existing library roles Competencies requiredPolicy and advocacyLead on institutional data policy Advocacy role e.g. in the area of
open accessSupport and trainingBring data into undergraduate research-based learning, promoting data information literacy
Information literacy training
Teach data literacy to postgraduate studentsDevelop researcher data awareness
Provide an advice service to researchers (and research administrators), e.g.: Advice on writing Data Management Plans, RDM within a project, licensing data, on data citation and on measurement of impact of data sharing.
Reference and enquiry roles; producing print and web based guides; copyright advice.
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Dec-2012
Provide advice as above through a web portal
Library web site
Signpost who in the institution should be consulted in relation to a particular question
Role of library as point of enquiry and the reference interview
Promote data reuse by making known what is available internally and externally; explaining data citation
Marketing of library resources
Data asset assessment and repository managementAudit to identify data sets for archiving, create a catalogue of materials or to identify RDM needs
Cataloguing and metadata creation
Develop and manage access to data collections
Collection development, digital library management and metadata management
Develop local data curation capacity
Open access role. Preservation role.
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
ACTIVITY 1.3.3Competencies for RDM roles
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Activity 1.3.3 Competencies for RDM roles
• We discussed the potential RDM roles that the Library could take on, and how they align with existing roles. What would be the competencies required to fulfil these potential RDM roles?
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Competencies for RDM roles
• On the following two slides are some of our ideas
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Roles in RDM (See sources section for sources)
Dec-2012
Role Alignment with existing library roles Competencies requiredPolicy and advocacyLead on institutional data policy Advocacy role e.g. in the area of
open accessStrategic understanding and influencing skills
Support and trainingBring data into undergraduate research-based learning, promoting data information literacy
Information literacy training Understanding of RDM best practices as they apply to relevant disciplines; pedagogic skills
Teach data literacy to postgraduate studentsDevelop researcher data awareness
Provide an advice service to researchers (and research administrators), e.g.: Advice on writing Data Management Plans, RDM within a project, licensing data, on data citation and on measurement of impact of data sharing.
Reference and enquiry roles; producing print and web based guides; copyright advice.
Reference interview management, knowledge of RDM principles
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Dec-2012
Provide advice as above through a web portal
Library web site Knowledge of institutional and extra-institutional resources
Signpost who in the institution should be consulted in relation to a particular question
Role of library as point of enquiry and the reference interview
Knowledge of institution
Promote data reuse by making known what is available internally and externally; explaining data citation
Marketing of library resources Knowledge of researchers’ needs, knowledge of available material
Data asset assessment and repository managementAudit to identify data sets for archiving, create a catalogue of materials or to identify RDM needs
Cataloguing and metadata creation Metadata skills
Develop and manage access to data collections
Collection development, digital library management and metadata management
Audit interviews, knowledge of RDM principles, metadata, licensing
Develop local data curation capacity
Open access role. Preservation role.
Knowledge of RDM principles, relevant technologies and processes, metadata
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
More specialist roles
• A range of roles have been identified, some quite specialist– Data creator– Data scientist– Data manager– Data librarian
• See the Core Skills Diagram, http://data-forum.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/rdmf2-core-skills-diagram.html
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
ACTIVITY 1.3.4The impact on LIS organisations
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Activity 1.3.4 The impact on LIS organisations
• How might libraries as organisations have to change to support research better? For example, does it require “embedding” of LIS roles?
• Should any of these services be chargeable?
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
ACTIVITY 1.3.5Howe did they do it?
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
Activity 1.3.5 How did they do it?
• Look at the list with steps taken by university libraries to start to respond to the research data management challenge.
• What approaches seem to apply best to your own situation, and why?
• Which activities can you begin tomorrow? Within six months? Within three years?
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
SOURCES
Sep-2012
Learning material produced by RDMRose http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose
SourcesThe table on slides 13 and 14 is based on literature including:• Auckland, M. (2012). Re-Skilling for Research: An Investigation into the Role
and Skills of Subject and Liaison Librarians Required to Effectively Support the Evolving Information Needs of Researchers. London: Research Libraries UK. Retrieved from http://www.rluk.ac.uk/content/re-skilling-research/.
• Brewerton, A. (2011) ‘... and any other duties deemed necessary:’ an analysis of subject librarian job descriptions. Sconul Focus, 51, 60-67.
• Corrall, S. (2012). Roles and responsibilities: libraries, librarians and data. In G. Pryor (Ed.), Managing Research Data (pp. 105-133). London: Facet.
• Lewis, M. (2010). Libraries and the management of research data. In S. Mcknight (Ed.), Envisioning future academic library services: Initiatives, ideas and challenges (pp. 145-168). London: Facet.
• Lyon, L. (2012). The informatics transform: Re-engineering libraries of the data decade, The International Journal of Digital Curation, 2012, 7 (1) pp.126-138.
Sep-2012