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@Harrell.Lib (October 2011)

The Official Newsletter of the George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library Vol. 2 (4) October, 2011

Research Data Management Activities at the Penn State University Libraries

by Patricia Hswe, Digital Collection Curator, University Libraries

Since the May 2010 press release from the National Science Foundation (NSF), stating that grant proposals to the funding agency would require data management plans beginning in January 2011, the Penn State University Libraries have worked hard to assist faculty researchers in meeting this requirement. The formation of the Research Data Management Services Team (RDMST) has been key to the Libraries’ swift response. RDMST is dedicated to getting the word out about our consultative services, our readiness to instruct in data management planning, and our participation in university-wide data curation service development. We have many activities underway that are helping to broaden the knowledge and practice of data curation at Penn State.

It Takes Teamwork

Data curation is typically defined as the active and ongoing management of data throughout its lifecycle, from its creation, through its description, processing and analysis, archiving, use, publication, transformation, and reuse. The many aspects to the lifecycle management of research data quickly make obvious that these are activities necessitating the engagement of a variety of individuals, not least of which are subject specialist librarians with direct ties to faculty researchers; librarians who have experience in description of data and content and in prioritizing use and user needs of data; and technologists for understanding appropriate infrastructure, storage, and security levels for data. RDMST was formed largely in recognition of this fact.

Charged by Mike Furlough (Associate Dean for Research and Scholarly Communications, UL), Mairéad Martin (Senior Director, DLT), and Gary White (Head of Reference, Collections, and Research, UL), RDMST formed in late 2010 and began working in earnest in early 2011. A combination of librarians and ITS professionals, the team is composed of Kevin Clair (Metadata Librarian, UL), Nancy Henry (Health Sciences Librarian), Mike Giarlo (Digital Library Architect, DLT), Christy Long (Director of IT Service Operations, DLT), Daniel Mack (Head, Arts and Humanities Library, UL), Tamara McMahon (Knowledge Integration and Emerging Technologies Librarian, Harrell Health Sciences Library, Penn State Hershey), Sarah Wygant (Data Archivist, Population Research Institute), and Stephen Woods (Social Science Librarian Specializing in Data and Government Information, UL). Marcy Bidney (Head, Maps Library at UL) and Patricia Hswe (Digital Collections Curator, UL) serve as the co-chairs of RDMST.

What have we accomplished since January 2011? The list below gives an idea:

  • Reviewed, vetted, and composed material for our website on data management (http://www.libraries.psu.edu//psul/scholar/datamanagement.html)
  • Met with researchers to assist them in developing plans for research data creation/management (this activity is ongoing)
  • Surveyed current and pending NSF PIs at Penn State on their data management service needs
  • Gave a presentation on data management for the April 2011 “Coffee and Conversation”
  • Began identifying gaps in supporting researchers’ needs for data curation services
  • Developed a brochure for distribution in fall 2011 about RDMST services in this area
  • Drafted local guidance, to be distributed in fall 2011, for Penn State researchers to use in developing a data plan

As other sectors of the university, such as the Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office (SIRO, http://www.research.psu.edu/offices/siro), have started helping faculty researchers address the NSF requirement, members of RDMST are also partnering with them on consultations for large-scale grant proposal efforts and in working group activities such as benchmarking current service offerings in data curation against those of peer institutions.

The Road Going Forward

With several months of work behind us, in which we have learned as much as we have produced, RDMST is well positioned to take further steps in program and service development. We plan to continue raising awareness within the Libraries about data management through programs for library faculty and staff, such as information and discussion sessions on the topic. In November 2011 Marcy Bidney and Patricia Hswe will be leading a workshop on research data management for graduate students . RDMST members have also discussed the idea of bringing services on data planning to where our faculty researchers are - to their departments, or institutes - and thus holding consultation hours in situ. There will also be opportunities for RDMST to advise on research data pilot projects and to inform development of storage and curation services, particularly in reviewing current storage provision practices, arriving at best practices and standards for preservation of data, and determining appropriate curation services for a tiered storage plan.