Libraries for Research Data IG rev-002

Libraries for Research Data: Revised Case Statement

November 26, 2014

Co-Chairs: Wolfram Horstmann, Kathleen Shearer, Michael Witt

Research data have become primary scholarly assets that often require continued access in the dynamic environment of mobile researchers, volatile repositories, transient products and software, and short-lived standards. Libraries have maintained the written scholarly record for centuries, and building on this tradition, librarians have been adapting the principles and practice of librarianship to meet the modern needs of data-driven research and learning.

Libraries have been expanding on their traditional roles and developing new services in the digital environment. This includes collecting, preserving and providing access to research data; as well as offering advice and support to researchers about how to manage research data. The purpose of this group is to build capacity within the library community around research data management, ensure libraries are aligned with other RDM service providers, and share practices as RDM library services evolve and mature. Working groups will be identified and spawned as specific, short-term activities are identified by the group.

Critically, libraries must ensure that they are interoperable with domain data centres and other RDM infrastructures elsewhere. RDA is an important venue whereby the libraries/institutions can interact with other communities including the Domain Repositories Interest Group, the Metadata Working Group, and the Data Publishing Interest Group and bring back best practices developed elsewhere to the library community. In addition, libraries have traditional strengths that they can contribute to RDAs mission of interoperability. Libraries have a long history in terms of collaboration and developing interoperable solutions across multiple domains (e.g. OAI-PMH). They act as a bridge across disciplines and can help to identify commonalities across fields. In addition, IG will actively engage with other RDA groups or form working groups, including Education and Training as well as the Long Tail for Research Data, to ensure there are no redundancies and our work is complementary.

Objectives of the Libraries for Research Data Interest Group include:

●      Define organizational and service models to support RDM in research libraries

●      Promote best practices and interoperability of library infrastructures with domain repositories and other RDM initiatives.

●      Develop strategies for embedding data management services at academic and research institutions

●      Identify sustainable organisational business models for libraries in support of RDM

●      Foster the adoption of data-related skills into information literacy instruction for scholars and librarians

●      Act as a conduit to bring together the activities of different regional library groups including IFLA, LIBER, ARL, CARL, etc.

●      Develop advocacy and outreach material for RDM in the research and education communities, in particular with university administrators

Libraries20-20original20charter.pdf