Researchers, Research Councils and the UK Information Infrastructure

Dr Michael Jubb Director Research Information Network

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“Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it.” Samuel Johnson

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“If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten-foot chain.” Adlai Stevenson

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The Challenges of Connection

The needs of researchers as producers of information and as users ( information

consumers?)

of The research community/ies and the library and information community/ies Research Strategy and Information Strategy Research funders and policy makers, and library/information funders, providers and policy-makers

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The RIN and its Sponsors

The four UK Higher Education Funding Bodies

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England (HEFCE), Scotland (SHEFC), Wales (HEFCW), Northern Ireland (DELNI) The eight Research Councils

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Arts and Humanities (AHRC)

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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 Libraries

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British Library (BL)

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National Library of Scotland (NLS) National Library of Wales (NLW )

RIN Mission

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

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

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What do we Mean by Research Information?

Information Produced

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Journal articles

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Monographs by Researchers

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Reports Datasets Other outputs (software, performances, tools…) Information Used or Needed by Researchers

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Publications produced by other researchers (articles etc)

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Data and other outputs produced by other researchers

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Publications, reports and data produced by a wide range of individuals and organisations Manuscripts, artefacts, sounds, images

What do we Mean by Scholarly Communication?

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A “broad definition”?

“the authoring, publication and use of academic research material among scholars, for the purpose of communicating knowledge and facilitating research in the academic community” J Eric Davies and Helen Greenwood “Scholarly communication trends- voices from the vortex: a summary of specialist opinion” Learned Publishing vol 17 no 2 April 2004

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The RIN and Scholarly Communications

Broad definition covers for the research community all that is involved in

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Discovering, accessing, analysing, manipulating and using the information resources – in whatever form – a that researchers need in the process of their research; Disseminating, publishing and making available to other researchers and stakeholders the information resources that researchers produce; and The systems, applications and tools that are needed to underpin those processes

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Characteristics of the UK Research Information Infrastructure

A highly-federated and distributed system

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Like other parts of the research infrastructure, arguably an under invested system Key players

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National and copyright libraries, especially the British Library

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Other major research libraries The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and its major service providers Data Centres such as those of the British Geological Survey, the European Bioinformatics Institute Publishers, with services such as Science Direct, Web of Science etc International connectivity

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Opportunities and challenges

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Key Challenges for the UK Research Information System: I

Co-ordination and Collaboration

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Need for better maps of the distributed national collection of published serials, monographs and grey literature

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At item level (a national union catalogue?) At collection level Need for more efficient and effective management of collections in the interests of users

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Collaborative storage and de-duplication

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Interlending Need for co-ordination in collection development

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But recognise tension between national collection development needs and the interests/needs of institutions Focus on national gaps and needs, with carrots as well as sticks Political, Organisational, Technical and Financial Challenges

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Key Challenges for the UK Research Information System: II

Building and providing access to the hybrid intellectual infrastructure

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Published articles and books in digital and hard copy form Reports and other grey literature from a wide variety of bodies Research datasets, produced by public and private sector bodies, as well as by researchers themselves Increasing volumes of research, of data/information produced by researchers, and of data/information to which researchers need access Political, organisational, technical and financial challenges of sustainability

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Key Challenges for the UK Research Information System: III

What will the essential intellectual infrastructure look like in the future ?

Different subjects and disciplines with different characteristics and needs Some generic issues

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Management of the data that researchers produce

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Proactive collection of informal material (emails, blogs)?

Quality assurance: how and by whom?

What kinds of bibliographic control?

How effectively discoverable and accessible, by whom, and on what terms?

What kinds of item and collection description?

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Classification systems, metadata, ontologies To what extent digitised?

How and where stored and preserved?

Challenges here are intellectual as well as organisational, technical and financial

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RIN Strategic Aims

To develop, with the active involvement of key stakeholders, a framework strategic for enhancing the UK research information infrastructure To ensure that the research community contributes to and collaborates a programme of action tailored to its needs in 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 To co-ordinate action to improve the arrangements for researchers to information sources relevant to their work, and how they may gain to them find access To lead the development of a programme to sustain and enhance management and development of the published hard copy aggregate UK collection of research resources To co-ordinate action to ensure that need the outputs researchers produce and are retained and made available for use in the most effective way

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Co-ordination and Leadership: Key Relationships

Research Communities

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Research Councils, Learned Societies, Representative bodies, Consultative Groups Library and Information Communities

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Professional and Representative bodies

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e.g. Consortium of Research Libraries (CURL); Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) National Libraries The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and its major service providers

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Publishers Association, Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) International bodies (ARL, CAUL, DLF, LIBER, OCLC, RLG) Government and Related Organisations

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Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) and Office of Science and Technology (OST) Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and HEFCE Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

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RCUK Position Statement on Research Outputs: I Based around four principles

► ► ► ► Ideas and knowledge derived from publicly-funded research are made available and accessible for public use, interrogation, and scrutiny, as widely, rapidly and effectively as practicable. Effective mechanisms are in place to ensure that published research outputs are subject to rigorous quality assurance, through peer review. The models and mechanisms for publication and access to research results are both efficient and cost-effective in the use of public funds. The outputs from current and future research can be preserved and remain accessible not only for the next few years but for future generations

Extensive consultation with all key stakeholders

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RCUK Position Statement on Research Outputs: II Key recommendations

► Support for development of repositories ► ►

roles of Research Councils, universities, British Library and others preservation as well as access issues

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subject to copyright and licensing arrangements (work to be done with publishers on model licensing arrangements)

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in an appropriate repository (either institutional or subject-based) wherever such a repository is available to the award-holder

Peer review to be maintained ► ► ►

clear “kite-marking” of repositories and of their contents

Pay-to-publish costs allowable in grants Talks with publishers and with learned societies ►

Implementation and review

► ► To apply in relation to grants awarded from April 2006 Review framework

Key Challenges for the RIN

Making a Difference

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To deliver a programme of work – in partnership with key stakeholders - that will make a visible difference, and in a short timescale To establish an authoritative national strategic framework for future development To improve scholarly communications in the broadest sense

Irreverent Final Thoughts

“It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information” Oscar Wilde “I wish people who have trouble communicating would just shut up” Tom Lehrer