The Research Information Network: what is it and what does

it do?

Stéphane Goldstein

USTLG Summer meetingUniversity of Liverpool, 22 June

2006

Fundamental premise…

"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information"

Oscar Wilde

RIN sponsors

The four UK Higher Education Funding CouncilsEngland (HEFCE), Scotland (SHEFC), Wales (HEFCW), Northern Ireland (DELNI)

The eight Research CouncilsArts and Humanities (AHRC)Biotechnology and Biological Sciences (BBSRC)Central Laboratory (CCLRC)Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPSRC)Economic and Social (ESRC)Medical (MRC)Natural Environment (NERC)Particle Physics and Astronomy (PPARC)

The three National LibrariesBritish Library (BL)National Library of Scotland (NLS)National Library of Wales (NLW)

RIN structure

Funders’ GroupAdvisory BoardConsultative Groups

Arts, Humanities and Social SciencesLife Sciences and MedicinePhysical Sciences, Engineering and TechnologyLibrary and Information Sciences

Executive teamMichael Jubb (Director)Stéphane Goldstein (Planning & Project Officer)Jackie Van Bueren (PA to Director)

RIN interlocutors

In addition to our 15 sponsors…Libraries and representative organisations (CURL, SCONUL…)JISCMLAResearch fundersData centresUUKPublishersGovernment DepartmentsInternational (OCLC/RLG, JSTOR, European Union…)

And others…

RIN mission

“To lead and co-ordinate new developments in the collaborative provision of research information for the benefit of researchers in the UK”

all disciplines and subjectsall kinds of information sources used by and produced by researchers (digital and non-digital)the research base both in the HE sector and beyond

What do we mean by research information?

Information produced by researchersJournal articlesMonographsReportsDatasetsOther outputs (software, performances, tools…)

Information used or needed by researchersPublications produced by other researchers (articles etc)Data and other outputs produced by other researchersPublications, reports and data produced by a wide range of individuals and organisations Manuscripts, artefacts, sounds, images

RIN strategic aims: I

To develop, with the active involvement of key stakeholders, a strategic framework for enhancing the UK research information infrastructure To ensure that the research community contributes to and collaborates in a programme of action tailored to its needs To act as an advocate for research information provision at the highest levels of policy-making in the UK, and to represent the interests of UK researchers in relevant international forums

RIN strategic aims: II

To co-ordinate action to improve the arrangements for researchers to find information sources relevant to their work, and how they may gain access to themTo lead the development of a programme to sustain and enhance management and development of the aggregate UK collection of published hard copy research resources

To co-ordinate action to ensure that the outputs researchers produce and need are retained and

made available for use in the most effective way

RIN activities: search and discovery

Consultancy study of researchers’ behaviour and perceptions in the use of resource discovery services and tools

Preparation of a map of current servicesTelephone interviews with 450 researchers To be completed by mid-July

Discovery services for library and archive holdings

COPAC, SUNCAT, ZETOC, Archives Hub and similar servicesWorkshop for key stakeholders JISC ReviewWhat are the priorities now in retroconversion?

RIN activities: access

Report on the RSLP Access Funding SchemeFurther work on the impact of recent developments and initiatives, and how researchers are making use of them

Forthcoming study on extending the coverage of online cataloguesSupport for SCONUL Research Extra

Linkages with Inspire and UK Libraries PlusRelationships with M25 Looking to develop a relationship with USTLG

Expert group on walk-in access for members of the public to academic journals

RIN activities: researchers and libraries

If UK is to sustain its position as the leading research nation outside the US, it needs a world-class research information infrastructure. What role do libraries play in this?Researchers’ interest less in the collections of individual libraries, more in the information resources to which they can provide access Need for better understanding of

how researchers are using libraries, and want them to develophow effective libraries are in providing services for researchers and in meeting their information needs

RIN study about to be commissioned

RIN activities: scholarly communications I

Work with key stakeholders from funding agencies, Government, libraries and publishers; developing a collaborative, shared agendaImpact of new technologies on all the key stages/functions in the scholarly communications process

doing research and producing research outputsidentifying and protecting intellectual property rightsquality assurance and the peer review of research outputspresenting, publishing and disseminating outputs in both digital and printed formsproviding access to quality-assured and authentic published outputsassessing usage and impactpreserving and providing access to published outputs in both digital and printed forms, for the indefinite future

Changing roles of the key players, and resulting tensions between them

RIN activities: scholarly communications II

RIN study into the policy and practice of UK research funders – nearly completed

Looking at how a selection of funders manage the information outputs of their funded researchIssues covered include institutional repositories and data managementWorkshop planned for the autumn

Ongoing analysis of available data on scholarly journal publishing – to be completed in September

Including data on journal demand-side and supply-side economics, usage and alternative dissemination modelsStudy jointly commissioned with RCUK and DTI

RIN activities: digital content I

Increasing need to manage and provide access to digital data, as well as formal publicationsLittle consistency in policy and practice across major research funders and institutionsNeed to recognise different requirements that arise in handling different kinds of data from different sourcesIncreasing international interest

OECD, US National Science Board, Australian DEST

Increasing need for guidelines and protocols

RIN activities: digital content II

Work with JISC, BL and others on “a co-ordinated framework of principles and best practice for the provision of online e-content”Work with JISC, CCLRC, E-Science programme on framework of principles for the handling of data and access to it

First draft of principles has been the subject of limited consultationWorkshop planned in the autumn to ‘test’ the principles notably with data centre managers, but also orgs such as DISC-UKFurther work needed to establish how such principles might be disseminated

RIN activities: collaborative collection management and storage

Sustaining and building on what has been achieved through CoFoR and other initiatives

Evaluation of CoFoR and scope for extension

Development of the “National Research Reserve” proposal set out in the CURL/BL study on Optimising Storage and AccessFocus on low-use material

Permanent preservationEfficient, cost-effective and sustainable accessEncourage disposals, to release space, and to avoid need for investment in additional storage

E-Infrastructure

OST-led E-infrastructure Steering Group

Aim to produce a roadmap for developing the infrastructure for the support of UK researchers over the next ten years

Context is the 2007 Spending Review

Six sub-groups, one on search and navigation, led by RIN

Challenge for the future

To make the case for investment and co-ordination in developing a distributed information infrastructure that provides essential services for researchers

Find out more about the RIN at www.rin.ac.uk