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We are all e-Researchers now
Stéphane GoldsteinHead of Programmes, RIN
SCONUL-IATUL seminarWellcome Collection21 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 librariesSo libraries and e-research should in theory be complementaryBut are they in reality?
e-Research needs analysisSurvey published in early 2007 under the auspices of the RLUK/SCONUL e-Research TaskforceSurvey of nearly 100 information professionals to gauge their awareness of e-Research
Subject librariansdata librarians/managersrepository managers, research support librarians…
A low level of awareness
Reasonably high level of awareness regarding IR development/management and open access and publisher agreementsLow to very low levels of awareness for just about everything else
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Development of metadata associated with primary research data
Support for data web developments /distributed personal publication ofdata
Development of workflows to assist management and deposit of primaryresults of research (electronic data)
Development of institutional policy for research data preservation andaccess
Advice services for researchers on management and handling ofunpublished research data
Virtual Research Environment development
Use of grid technologies for research
Collaborative research projects involving sharing of electronic researchdata between institutions
Advice in connection with bids for research funding - e.g. advising on datastandards
Development of research skills training to incorporate areas relevant to thechanging requirements facing researchers
Collaborative research projects involving sharing of electronic researchdata within the Institution
Advice about data curation
Development of metadata associated with published research outputs
Advice about open access and publisher agreements
Institutional repository development and management
Established Current Area of Development Under Discussion Not Aware
e-Research and VREsOver 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 (non-technical), developing and managing ontologiesResearchers 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 dataOnly 3% of libraries provide formal data curation training to researchersAlthough 37% provide on-demand adviceSo could this situation be improved?
Researchers need supportAt 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 resourcesLack of experience or expertiseDifficulty 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 librariansThis presupposes the emergence of a cadre of data librarians, with a recognised career path
Only half a dozen of them at present in the UKConsider the training and supply of data librariansFew 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-awareAdopting a data care role (preservation, archiving, curation)
Other data specialists tooNevertheless, librarians’ role with regard to data is only part of a possible solutionOther important (and overlapping) roles:
Data creators – researchers with domain expertise who produce dataData scientists – involved varyingly in conceptualisation, creation, access/use, appraisal and selection of dataData managers – responsible for computing facilities, storage and continuing access of data
What nextTaking forward the data sharing agenda
Major JISC programme focused on infrastructure developmentGreater effectiveness through shared services: UK Research Data Service feasibility studyRIN 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-researchRIN/CURL report on researchers’ use of academic libraries and their services: http://www.rin.ac.uk/researchers-use-librariesJISC report on the skills, role and career structure of data scientists and curators: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/dataskillscareersfinalreport.aspxUK Research Data Feasibility Service: http://www.ukrds.ac.uk/
