Continuity and change: Opportunities and challenges for the future of research libraries in a data-intensive age
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The document discusses opportunities and challenges for research libraries in a data-intensive age. It summarizes the changing roles of research libraries from traditional roles like collection development to emerging roles like supporting research data management (RDM). The document also discusses the growth of data-intensive research, funder policies supporting open access and data sharing, and the skills gap libraries face in supporting new RDM roles. Potential new roles for libraries in supporting RDM are also presented, including training, policy development, and identifying infrastructure needs.
Continuity and change: Opportunities and challenges for the future of research libraries in a data-intensive age
- 1. Continuity and change Opportunities and challenges for the future of research libraries in a data-intensive age Michael Day Digital Curation Centre UKOLN, University of Bath, UK m.day@ukoln.ac.uk 5th Joint Conference of Slovene Special and Academic Libraries, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 17-18 October 2012 UKOLN is supported by: www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 2. Pulteney Bridge, Bath www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management http://www.flickr.com/photos/13706945@N00/7756014816/
- 3. Presentation outline • Changing research library roles • Research Data Management – Changes in policies – Changes in research practice – Open Access and Open Science • The skills gap • Potential roles for the library in supporting RDM • Some concluding thoughts – Presentation slides can be found at: http://www.slideshare.net/michaelday/continuity-change- 14758361 www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 4. Research library roles Traditional Collection development and acquisitions Cataloguing and knowledge organisation Circulation Reference work; current awareness Preservation and conservation www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 5. Research library roles Traditional Emerging Collection development and Content creation (e.g. digitisation); acquisitions license negotiation; dealing with new forms of content Cataloguing and knowledge Resource description and organisation metadata; linked data Circulation Empowering users, e.g. training; Reference work; current awareness of institutional contexts awareness Preservation and conservation Digital preservation and sustainability, repositories www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 6. Research data management (1) • RDM is rapidly emerging as an area of great interest to research libraries in the UK – Policy drivers are encouraging institutions to deal with this issue now – Institutions look to their libraries for advice on this – Libraries keen to clarify their role in supporting RDM, e.g. building on their experiences with implementing Institutional Repository infrastructures www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 7. Research data management (2) • Why has RDM become important now? – Changes in research practice (e.g., data-intensive research) – Changes in the expectations and policies of funding bodies – Changes in the culture of research (e.g. Open Science) www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 8. Data-intensive research • Jim Gray’s “Fourth Paradigm” • Difficult to define, but (broadly speaking) involves: – Research involving large amounts of data – Data is combined from multiple sources, across multiple disciplines – Data requiring significant processing (computational analysis) • Becoming increasingly embedded in research practice – Integral for many ‘big science’ disciplines – Now influencing “long-tail sciences,” the humanities and social sciences www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 9. Research funding bodies • UK Research Councils – Already help fund some data archives, e.g.: • Archaeology Data Service, European Bioinformatics Institute, the NERC data centres, UK Data Archive – Research Councils UK (RCUK) Common Principles on Data Policy • Recognises that data are a critical output of the research process • http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/Pages/DataPolicy.aspx www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 10. RCUK Principles (in a nutshell) • Publicly funded research data should be made openly available • Data with acknowledged long-term value should be preserved and remain accessible and usable for future research • Sufficient metadata should be recorded to enable other researchers to find and understand the research to enable re-use; published results should always include information on how to access the supporting data • Recognition that there may be legal, ethical and commercial constraints • Recognition that researchers may need privileged use of data for a limited period • All users of research data should acknowledge their sources • Appropriate to use public funds to support MRD www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 11. EPSRC Policy Framework (1) • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Policy Framework on Research Data (2011) – Required a “Roadmap” by May 2012; compliance by May 2015 – EPSRC Expectations have been a major influence in getting RDM onto the agenda of senior management in UK universities – Institutions with significant EPSRC funding could not afford to ignore this • http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/about/standards/researchdata/Pages/ expectations.aspx www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 12. EPSRC Policy Framework (2) • Selected points: – Appropriate metadata (including unique IDs) to be made freely available on the Internet within 12 months of data generation – Data not generated in digital format should be stored in a manner that facilitates it being shared – Data should be securely preserved for a minimum of 10 years after privileged access expires or the last date access was requested by a third party – There should be adequate resources from existing funding streams – EPSRC will monitor progress and compliance, reserving the right to impose “appropriate sanctions” www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 13. Research360@Bath • New institutional data scientist role • Addresses EPSRC expectations (published) • Doctoral Training Centre hubs • Faculty-Industry focus • Faculty cascade model • Multi-team approach • http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/research 360/ www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 14. Open Access • Open Access – Growing expectation from governments and funding bodies that outputs from publicly-funded research should be freely available – Supported by funding body and institutional mandates – Two main approaches to date: • Institutional Repositories, typically (86%) hosted and supported by libraries; some subject-based repositories • Steady growth in the number of Open Access journals, often funded by article processing charges www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 15. The Finch Report • Working Group on Expanding Access to Published Research Findings • Report: “Accessibility, sustainability, excellence: how to expand access to research publications” (June 2012) – Noted that the rate of deposit of papers in repositories so far “has been disappointing” (p. 6) – Recommendations included: • Proposed accelerating the transition to Open Access through publication in OA or hybrid journals • Recommended developing mechanisms to enable universities to pay article processing charges • Repositories to focus on reports, working papers, theses and dissertations – Available: http://www.researchinfonet.org/publish/finch/ www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 16. RCUK Open Access policy • Research Councils UK Policy on Access to Research Outputs (July 2012) – Based on the recommendations of the Finch Report – Peer reviewed research papers which result from research that is wholly or partially funded by the Research Councils: 1. must be published in journals which are compliant with Research Council policy on Open Access 2. must include details of the funding that supported the research, and a statement on how the underlying research materials – such as data, samples or models – can be accessed – http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/documents/RCUK%20_Polic y_on_Access_to_Research_Outputs.pdf www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 17. Science as an open enterprise (1) • OA to research outputs part of a wider trend of opening up access to research practice more generally • Royal Society report “Science as an open enterprise” (June 2012) – Focused on the potential of the “data deluge” – Produced a very thorough analysis of the current state- of-play on research data management in the UK – Full report and associated information available from: http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/science-public- enterprise/report/ www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 18. Science as an open enterprise (2) • Recommendation 1: “Scientists should communicate the data they collect and the models they create, to allow free and open access, and in ways that are intelligible, assessable and useable for other specialists in the same or linked fields wherever they are in the world. Where data justify it, scientists should make them available in an appropriate data repository.” www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 19. Science as an open enterprise (3) • Report identified four tiers of data management: – Tier 1 – major international initiatives – Tier 2 – national data centres – Tier 3 – institutions (universities and research centres) – Tier 4 – individual researchers or research groups • Concern about Tier 3 institutional strategies – Questions what responsibility institutions should have in supporting the data curation needs of their researchers and in curating the data produced by researchers – Implications for libraries … “ www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 20. Science as an open enterprise (4) • From Section 4.2.1 • “A particular dilemma for universities is to determine the role of their science libraries in a digital age. In the majority of cases (86%), libraries have led responsibility for the university repository. The traditional role of the library has been as a repository of data, information and knowledge and a source of expertise in helping scholars access them. That role remains, but in a digital age, the processes and the skills that are required to fulfil the same function are fundamentally different.” www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 21. Reskilling for research (1) • Research Libraries UK report • Written by Mary Auckland, former Director of Library and Learning Resources at the University of the Arts London; • Available: http://www.rluk.ac.uk/content/re- skilling-research www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 22. Reskilling for research (2) • Auckland identified 9 key areas with skill gaps for subject librarians: – Ability to advise on preserving research outputs – Knowledge to advise on data management and curation, including ingest, discovery, access, dissemination, preservation, and portability – Knowledge to support researchers in complying with the various mandates of funders, including open access requirements – Knowledge to advise on potential data manipulation tools used in the discipline/ subject – Knowledge to advise on data mining www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 23. Reskilling for research (3) • Key areas (continued) – Knowledge to advocate, and advise on, the use of metadata – Ability to advise on the preservation of project records e.g. correspondence – Knowledge of sources of research funding to assist researchers to identify potential funders – Skills to develop metadata schema, and advise on discipline/subject standards and practices, for individual research projects www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 24. Skill gap 2-5 years Now Preserving research outputs 49% 10% Data management & curation 48% 16% Comply with funder mandates 40% 16% Data manipulation tools 34% 7% Data mining 33% 3% Metadata 29% 10% Preservation of project records 24% 3% Sources of research funding 21% 8% Metadata schema, discipline standards, 16% 2% practices Source: Auckland, Reskilling for research (2012) www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 25. Potential library roles (1) • Leadership, co-ordinating action across the institution (and beyond) – Researchers – both as creators and users of data, PIs (have specific roles on grants), data scientists – Administration – research support offices, records managers, FOI officials – Central services – e.g., computing services • Training – Responding to researchers’ training needs – Continuing professional development for information professionals www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 26. Potential library roles (2) • Policy development – Approval of policies by senior management is just the start; policies need to be embedded in research practice and responsive to changing requirements • Data management planning – DCC How-to Develop a Data Management Plan guide: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides/develop- data-plan – DMP online: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/dmponline www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 27. Potential library roles (3) • Requirements gathering – Identifying researchers’ data requirements – Developing a shared understanding of what needs to be done (e.g., identifying where data exist, its form and scale, any existing retention requirements) – Identifying good practice within the institution (and the opposite) – Methods: surveys, focus groups, case studies, joint R&D projects, assessment tools, e.g. DCC’s Digital Asset Framework (DAF) www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 28. Potential library roles (4) • Assessing institutional preparedness – Identifying institutional stakeholders, existing data support services, gaps – Benchmarking and planning for the future – Skills audits – DCC CARDIO (Collaborative Assessment of Research Data Infrastructure and Objectives ) benchmarking tool – http://cardio.dcc.ac.uk/ www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 29. Potential library roles (5) • Identifying motivations and benefits – For researchers, support services, the institution • Identifying risks – Data loss (institution, research group, individual) – Increased costs (lack of planning, service inefficiency, data loss) – Legal compliance (research funder, H&S, ethics, FoI) – Reputation (institution, unit, individual) • Identifying costs – Keeping Research Data Safe (KRDS) toolkit www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 30. Potential library roles (6) • RDM infrastructures – Integrating where possible with existing services, e.g. IR, CRIS, VRE, HPC, cloud services, social media, etc. – Storage choices – no one-size-fits-all solution, e.g. Bristol’s BluePeta petascale storage facility, Bath’s X- Drive approach, cloud approaches • Metadata – Data documentation and metadata – layered approaches: top-level discovery (core metadata, collection/experiment-level?), role of standards like DCMI, CERIF, DDI, DOI, ORCID, etc. www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 31. Potential library roles (7) • Selection and appraisal – Deciding what needs to be kept and for how long – DCC guide: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resource s/how-guides/appraise-select- data www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 32. Potential library roles (8) • Data citation – Important to link publications to data (and vice versa); a requirement of some journals – Increases citations – of both data & publication – Data citation potentially increases reuse (hence value) – DCC guide: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources /how-guides/cite-datasets www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 33. Potential library roles (9) • Analysing tools that track “impact” http://total-impact.org/ www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 34. DCC Institutional engagements Assess Institutional needs data catalogues Workflow assessment Pilot RDM tools DAF & CARDIO Develop DCC assessments support Guidance support team and training and services RDM policy Advocacy with senior development management Customised Data Management Plans Make the case …and support policy implementation www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 35. Continuity and change … Traditional Emerging Collection development and Content creation (e.g. digitisation); acquisitions license negotiation; dealing with new forms of content Cataloguing and knowledge Resource description and organisation metadata; linked data Circulation Empowering users, e.g. training; Reference work; current awareness of institutional contexts awareness Preservation and conservation Digital preservation and sustainability, repositories www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 36. Infrastructure, Intelligence, Innovation: driving the Data Science agenda www.ukoln.ac.uk 8th International of expertise in digitalConference, Amsterdam, 14-16 January 2013 A centre Digital Curation information management
- 37. Hvala lepa | Thank you! www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management
- 38. Acknowledgments • The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) is a world-leading centre of expertise in digital information curation with a focus on building capacity, capability and skills for research data management across the UK's higher education research community. The DCC is funded by JISC. • More information is available from: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/ • UKOLN receives support from JISC and the University of Bath, where it is based. • More information is available from: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ www.ukoln.ac.uk A centre of expertise in digital information management