“Show Me the Data! How Libraries Support Research Data Management Plans and Data Sharing Requirements” was held on Sunday, June 25, 3:00–4:00 pm, and featured two speakers discussing the library’s role in supporting research data management programs in academic institutions.
Research data management is essential in the research enterprise. Many grant funding agencies now require data management plans to be included in grant applications, particularly governmental agencies funding research with public funds. Data management plans specify how research data will be analyzed, stored, and shared to ensure data is handled and preserved appropriately.
Jake Carlson, Research Data Services Manager at University of Michigan, presented “Getting Started with DMPs [Data Management Plans] and Data Services.” He identified several reasons data management is a growing topic of interest, including the push for access to results of tax-payer funded research, researchers recognizing the benefits of sharing data and statements supporting data sharing, and reproducibility issues in research. Libraries are well-positioned to support researchers’ research data management needs because of their expertise in connecting people with information, understanding how information is best communicated to specific audiences, and preserving scholarship. Carlson shared a number of resources of interest:
- Diving into Data: Developing Data Fluency for Librarians
- Data Management Planning Tool
- Data Curation Profiles Directory
- The DART Project: Using Data Management Plans as a Research Tool
- An Analysis of Data Management Plans from the University of Michigan
Amy Buckland, Head, Research & Scholarship at University of Guelph, presented “Show Me the Data,” which highlighted approaches to beginning to support research data management where there isn’t an established program. She described influences from within and outside of an institution that can help to provide leverage, support, and partners for starting a research data management program. External sources that can spur and provide support for data management programs include grant funding agency or publisher requirements, consortial services, peer institutions, and the library community’s tradition of creating and sharing content. Internal drivers of data management initiatives include data retention and records management policies, institutional mandates, the library’s role in sharing and preserving intellectual content, and collaborative efforts with the office of research.
