Transcript Slide 1

We are all e-Researchers now
Stéphane Goldstein
Head of Programmes, RIN
SCONUL-IATUL seminar
Wellcome Collection
21 November 2008
Research information:
How it was…
…and how it is now
All research is e-Research…
“e-Research refers to the development of,
and the support for, information and
computing technologies to facilitate all
phases of research processes” (definition
from JISC)
But what research doesn’t use information
and computing technologies?
Not just about science: increasingly relevant
to the arts and humanities
Sharing and collaborating
The ‘e’ in e-Research is all about facilitating
dissemination, sharing and collaboration…
…which, coincidentally, is not far removed
from the mission of libraries
So libraries and e-research should in theory
be complementary
But are they in reality?
e-Research needs analysis
Survey published in early 2007 under the
auspices of the RLUK/SCONUL e-Research
Taskforce
Survey of nearly 100 information
professionals to gauge their awareness of
e-Research
Subject librarians
data librarians/managers
repository managers,
research support librarians…
A low level of awareness
Reasonably high level of awareness
regarding IR development/management and
open access and publisher agreements
Low to very low levels of awareness for just
about everything else
Institutional repository development and management
Advice about open access and publisher agreements
Development of metadata associated with published research outputs
Advice about data curation
Collaborative research projects involving sharing of electronic research
data within the Institution
Development of research skills training to incorporate areas relevant to the
changing requirements facing researchers
Advice in connection with bids for research funding - e.g. advising on data
standards
Collaborative research projects involving sharing of electronic research
data between institutions
Use of grid technologies for research
Virtual Research Environment development
Advice services for researchers on management and handling of
unpublished research data
Development of institutional policy for research data preservation and
access
Development of workflows to assist management and deposit of primary
results of research (electronic data)
Support for data web developments /distributed personal publication of
data
Development of metadata associated with primary research data
0%
Established
Current Area of Development
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Under Discussion
60%
70%
80%
90%
Not Aware
100%
e-Research and VREs
Over 50% of researchers, and 75% of
librarians, believe that VREs will be an
important driver of change in libraries…
…even though half of researchers across all
disciplines have never heard of VREs!
Research data is an
interesting proposition…
In spite of the above findings, “it is the data management
issues around e-research that are of most interest to librarians
[…]. Many librarians see data curation as a natural extension of
their current role.” (RIN/CURL report on Researchers’ Use of
Academic Libraries and their Services – April 2007)
63% of librarians believe that managing datasets stemming
from e-research should be a core or ancillary role for them in
future; 81% see a role as manager of metadata issues (nontechnical), developing and managing ontologies
Researchers have partly contrasting views: from their
perspective, the corresponding percentages are 62% and 49%
…but barely figures in the
library landscape
In practice, few librarians have been
approached by e-researchers with requests to
manage data
Only 3% of libraries provide formal data
curation training to researchers
Although 37% provide on-demand advice
So could this situation be improved?
Researchers need support
At the same time, there is evidence that
researchers, faced with the challenge of
managing and disseminating their data, are
constrained among other things by:
Lack of time and resources
Lack of experience or expertise
Difficulty in making data accessible (metadata issues)
Not knowing where to archive the data
An emerging role for libraries?
“The library and information science
community should have an important role to
play in the data science arena, particularly in
delivering awareness and understanding of
data issues and the importance of good data
science and data curation” (The skills, role
and career structure of data scientists and
curators – Key Perspectives report to JISC,
July 2008)
Data librarians
This presupposes the emergence of a cadre of
data librarians, with a recognised career path
Only half a dozen of them at present in the UK
Consider the training and supply of data librarians
Few library and information science schools currently teach
the relevant skills
Two key roles for data librarians, both of
which can serve to promote e-Research:
Training researchers to be more data-aware
Adopting a data care role (preservation, archiving,
curation)
Other data specialists too
Nevertheless, librarians’ role with regard to
data is only part of a possible solution
Other important (and overlapping) roles:
Data creators – researchers with domain expertise who
produce data
Data scientists – involved varyingly in conceptualisation,
creation, access/use, appraisal and selection of data
Data managers – responsible for computing facilities,
storage and continuing access of data
What next
Taking forward the data sharing agenda
Major JISC programme focused on infrastructure
development
Greater effectiveness through shared services: UK Research
Data Service feasibility study
RIN working in partnership with JISC, RLUK and others to
develop an advocacy strategy aimed at encouraging
research funders and others to develop capacity, including
training
References
e-Research needs analysis: http://www.rluk.ac.uk/e-research
RIN/CURL report on researchers’ use of academic libraries and their
services: http://www.rin.ac.uk/researchers-use-libraries
JISC report on the skills, role and career structure of data scientists
and curators:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/dataskillscareersfina
lreport.aspx
UK Research Data Feasibility Service: http://www.ukrds.ac.uk/
[email protected]
www.rin.ac.uk