The role of repositories in supporting RDM: lessons from the DCC engagements
Angus Whyte, Sarah Jones
Digital Curation [email protected] Fringe
2 August 2013, University of Edinburgh
Aims
1. Outline UK programmes to help Higher Education Institutions develop RDM services
2. Background on the Digital Curation CentreDCC role in developing services
3. Outline emerging RDM servicesOur view of what they areRecent surveys on library plans & priorities
4. Examples from different universitiesRepository manager & subject librarian roles
Share examples and lessons
Who do repo managers need to
interact with in their institution?
Digital Curation Centre
• Est. 2004, Jisc funded partnership across 3 universities - Bath, Edinburgh and Glasgow
• Digital curation challenges across institutions and disciplines
• HEFCE funding from 2011 for targeted support to help institutions build capacity and capability in managing research data
Institutional engagement programme
21 Degree awarding
Russell Group
7 e.g. Edinburgh
Pre-1992 13 e.g. Surrey
Post-1992 4 e.g. Oxford Brookes
Research intensive
England, Wales, Scotland, N. Ireland
JISC Managing Research Data
• 25 x Infrastructure projects 2009-13
• DCC input - tool provision and support for events
• Help extract, amplify and transfer programme outputs across sector
• E.g. How-to guides, case studies
Envision Initiate Discover Design Implement Evaluate
RDM Development Process
But its non-linear really! …cycles of negotiation and compromise towards ‘continuous improvement’
Envision Initiate Discover Design Implement Evaluate
RDM Development Process
Advocacy, policy developmentDCC
Envision Initiate Discover Design Implement Evaluate
RDM Development Process
Readiness, requirements and risk assessmentCARDIO – Collaborative Assessment of Research Data Infrastructure and ObjectivesDAF – Data Asset Framework
DCC
Emerging Services – DCC/MRD
Emerging Services – Library Surveys
221 institutions US and Canada (of which 99 universities)
Academic Libraries and Research Data Services: Current practices and plans for the future
Carol Tenopir, Ben Birch, Suzie Allard University of Tennessee
Assoc. College & Research Libraries, June 2012
Emerging Services - Surveys
81 UK higher education institutions
Research data management and libraries: Current activities and future priorities
Andrew Cox and Stephen Pinfield Information School, University of Sheffield
Journal of Librarianship and Information Science June 28, 2013
Emerging Services - Surveys
82 UK higher education institutions
Bibliometrics and Research data Management services: Emerging trends in Library Support for Research
Sheila Corrall, Mary Anne Kennan, Waseem Afzal
Library Trends, Volume 61, Number 3, Winter 2013, pp. 636-674
RDM Services planned
High expectations of prioritising/ planning delivery over next 2-3 years.
Mixture of advice & liaison and technical services
So what do we find Repository Managers doing in service development?
•Figures from 1 Cox & Pinfield (N=81)2 Corrall et al (N-82)
Top 12 Service priorities
1. Rank by Top future Priority
2. Current (Planned)%
Policy development 1 17 (60)
Advisory service 2 10 (40)
PGR Training 3 = 14 (43)
Early career awareness 3=
Awareness reusable resources – data archives
5= 41 (20)
Data repository 5= 37 (37)
Data citation advice 7 41 (20)
Copyright, IPR 8
Web portal, guidance 9
Metadata, data catalogue 10
DMP advice 11= 9 (49)
External data sources – research & retrieve
11=
Tales from Two Cities
• Contrasting institutions– Post-1992, 4260 students, 100’s research active staff– Russell Group, 31,323, 1000’s research active staff
• Some things in common– Repository managers actively engaged in developing
– Policy response to funder requirements– Online guidance– Support for data mgmt planning– Surveys/ interviews to scope research data, practices
and requirements – Skills development for Subject Librarians
Oxford Brookes UniversityDriver: Engineering and Physical Science Research Council policy expectations
Steering group PVC led, action by repository and research office mgrs
Awareness training to faculty, with DAF survey follow-up, Subject Librarian training
Research data as special collections Help desk service being established.
University of EdinburghDriver: Institutional reputation
Steering group CIO led, action by Data Library & Information Services colleagues
One of the first UK data repositories
Data Library pivotal in RDM developments
Pioneer of much-reused RDM policy and training materials.
To sum up…
• In our experience, repository managers active in kickstarting ‘softer’ capabilities
• Still few universities have dedicated RDM staff• Academic liaison roles required - also indicated by surveys
– IT, Libraries, Research Office/ Business Development– E.g. ACRL Report “Reassigning existing library staff common tactic”
• Computing services: active data storage, • Research support: licensing .. DMP support • Records managers: policy
Issues?
• Commercial data – really for the OA repository to manage?
• Who deals with abandoned data in ‘active’ storage?
• How to deal with data from retiring staff, unfunded groups?
• When staff leave what should go with them?
• How do we trust external repositories?
• What new workflows and roles for data publication?
Thank you
Questions, comments?Your experiences?
Other national surveys?