Assessment of Biomedical and Science Librarian E-science Learner and User Needs to Develop an E-science Web Portal and Support Library and Institutional E-science Initiatives and Collaborations

Objective: To determine biomedical and science librarians\u27 need for an e-science web portal and to gather data on their user needs and Web 2.0 preferences in order to design a e-science web portal and support the development and strengthening of libraries’ e-science initiatives and collaborations. Methods: Using feedback from librarian interviews from attendees of an e-science symposium and boot-camp, we researched and developed questions to survey learner needs. We created the survey using SurveyMonkey. A small group of medical librarians then tested the survey. Based on the feedback of the testing, the survey was revised. The survey was administered to 178 health sciences librarians. After 3 weeks, 73 data sets and responses were collected and analyzed. Results and Conclusions: Preliminary results reveal a small yet significant number of diverse biomedical and science libraries actively engaged or actively pursuing e-science collaborations. These results indicate librarians have urgent needs for online scientific content and data tool tutorials to support and facilitate the exchange of e-science knowledge and experience among colleagues. In addition and important to note, the results indicate a significant need for and lack of awareness of online e-science resources. Thus, to support the e-science initiatives, biomedical and science librarians need an interactive e-science web portal designed by librarians that integrates e-science web resources and scientific content development. Additional areas for future research include identifying and examining the specific types of e-science collaborations and endeavors among biomedical and scientific institutions and their libraries and librarians and studying the future effectiveness and/or impact of the web portal and its resources and Web 2.0 tools on these collaborations and endeavors. Presented April 7, 2010, at the Second Annual University of Massachusetts and New England Area Librarian E-Science Symposium, Shrewsbury, MA

Assessment of health sciences and science and technology librarian e-science educational needs to develop an e-science web portal for librarians

In the summer of 2009, the Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School applied for and was awarded funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region (NN/LM NER), to begin the construction of an e-science educational web portal specifically for librarians. The e-science web portal team\u27s first task was to assess the region\u27s health sciences and science and technology librarians and their e-science needs and learner preferences in order to help guide and inform the construction of the portal. The objectives of this assessment were threefold. The first was to establish that there was indeed a need for an e-science portal for librarians. The second was to examine what types of e-science and data services were being undertaken by these librarians and their libraries in New England. The third was to identify the background of the region\u27s health sciences and science and technology librarians as well as their educational needs and Web 2.0 tool preferences in order to develop the scope and transmission mechanism of online educational materials concerning e-science. Using feedback from librarian interviews from attendees of an e-science symposium and boot-camp, we researched and developed questions to survey learner needs. The results of the survey clearly show that a small, but significant number of New England libraries serving the health sciences are currently engaged in e-science activities within their institutions or with other institutions and that a larger group of health sciences and science and technology librarians see potential for e-science collaborations in the future. These results, from a sizeable representative sample of respondents, clearly establish that an e-science web portal specifically for librarians is both wanted and needed by New England\u27s library community. These results also show a regional demand for a portal centralizing e-science and data services tools and scientific content tutorials to serve patrons in basic as well as emerging information technology and data-intensive scientific disciplines. Moreover, the results present a community that is comfortable utilizing a variety of educational Web 2.0 tools for its self-guided learning and that is interested in future continuing education and professional development opportunities focusing on e-science

Data Curation and Management Competencies of New England Region Health Sciences and Science and Technology Librarians

Objective: To identify specific data curation and management competencies that would aid in the continued development of a data management curriculum and professional development supporting New England health sciences and science and technology librarians, and to gather data on the nature and progress of data services being provided by these librarians and those being demanded by their patrons. Methodology: Based on a content analysis of data services and e-science librarian job postings, selected library and information science schools¹ programs and curricula, and published case studies and related best practices, the team researched and developed questions for the survey. An assessment was created using SurveyMonkey. A small group of medical librarians tested the survey and offered feedback. The survey was revised and then disseminated to New England health sciences and science and technology librarians. After three weeks, the team collected and analyzed the results. Results and Conclusion: A quarter of respondents surveyed stated that they are already managing and curating data sets. This number has nearly doubled since the team\u27s 2009 assessment of New England health sciences and science and technology librarians engaged in e-science. Almost half of respondents will be providing these services in the future; almost three quarters of respondents stated their library has or is in the process of creating a data management policy. Their responses to the competencies suggest that the portal curriculum focus on technical resources that would develop librarians¹ competencies in data literacy, curation and management by teaching skills such as scripting and programming languages and metadata and interoperability standards, as well as skills necessary to administer an institutional data repository. The data also suggest that a curriculum provide resources that address the non-technical competencies necessary to develop a data management policy, understand intellectual property and scholarly communication related to data. This research is helping the University of Massachusetts Medical School Lamar Soutter Library and National Network of National Libraries of Medicine New England Region (NN/LM NER) to develop its E-Science Portal data management curriculum and in-person professional development programming for its regional librarians engaged in e-science activities. In addition, this assessment illuminates the many challenges that health sciences libraries in New England are facing trying to engage in e-science. Thus, an area for future investigation is the strategies that libraries are using to deal with these challenges and overcome these obstacles

Frameworks for a Data Management Curriculum for Science, Health Sciences, and Engineering Students

Objectives: This poster illustrates the Frameworks for a Data Management Curriculum intended for undergraduate and graduate students studying science, health sciences, and engineering disciplines. Methods: An Education Committee composed of librarians, faculty, a curriculum consultant, an evaluation consultant, and an instructional design consultant collaborated in the development of these frameworks. At the two partnering schools, consultants collected data from students regarding their current data management practices and interviewed faculty about their students\u27 data management skills and learning needs. A literature review of current data management courses was conducted. From these resources learning objectives were identified, a simplified data management plan was developed, and a lesson plans for seven course modules were created. The evaluation consultant and an Education Committee librarian interviewed faculty to develop real-life research case scenarios that illustrate data management practices in the lab and clinical settings. Results: The curriculum frameworks are mapped to the data management plan requirements of the National Science Foundation and include lesson plans for seven instructional modules, a simplified data management plan, course readings, research cases in medicine, biomedical lab research, clinical behavioral health, and aerospace engineering. The Education Committee fully developed course content including readings, activities, research case excerpts, and assessment questions and answers for the fifth module, Legal and Ethical Considerations for Research Data, as proof of concept. Conclusions: Faculty and librarians have responded that the curriculum frameworks, when fully developed, will be a useful tool for providing data management instruction to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in diverse science, health science and engineering courses. The modular format of the curriculum and variety of research cases is flexible ; allowing faculty to select modules that are relevant to their course programs. When completed, the curriculum can be delivered in multiple ways: face-to-face, as online interactive modules, or hybrid. Implementation funding for full development of the course modules, additional research cases, and piloting the curriculum modules is proposed

So You Want to Be a Publisher: Planning and Publishing the Journal of eScience Librarianship

Objective: To describe the planning process and activities of the University of Massachusetts Medical School\u27s Lamar Soutter Library around the publication of the new Journal of eScience Librarianship (JESLIB). Methods: The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Lamar Soutter Library through funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine has been a leader in educating librarians about eScience and its impact on librarianship. In spring 2011 the Library began to explore the idea of publishing a peer-reviewed, open access electronic journal about eScience and data management for librarians. Planning and implementation considerations included: choosing a unique and appropriate name; infrastructure and hosting options; organizational and governance structure; roles and responsibilities; journal structure and content; aims and scope; editorial, peer review and other policies and procedures; and dissemination. Results: The inaugural issue of the Journal of eScience Librarianship (http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/jeslib/) was published on February 15, 2012 via the journal management platform of the Library\u27s institutional repository, eScholarship@UMMS. JESLIB has been assigned ISSN 2161-3974. The medical school joined CrossRef so that article metadata could be deposited into their system and each article assigned a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). Conclusion: Libraries can successfully publish as well as host online journals. Helpful planning guides and other resources are available to assist libraries and academic groups in publishing open access peer-reviewed journals. Lessons learned include: consider professional copy editing services to assist the Editorial Board; Editorial Team roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined but allow room for flexibility; and have a clear marketing communication and promotion strategy

The Academic Medical Library as Online Publisher

Objectives: To describe the use of an institutional repository system to facilitate the publishing activities of an academic medical library. Methods: The Library launched its institutional repository in 2006 and developed a mature collection of peer-reviewed articles, posters, and conference proceedings. Beginning in 2009, the Library sought to expand the use of the repository and partnered with two academic departments, Neurology and Psychiatry, to publish electronic journals. In spring 2011 the Library began to explore the idea of publishing its own peer-reviewed, open access electronic journal. Planning and implementation considerations included: choosing a unique and appropriate name; infrastructure and hosting options; organizational and governance structure; roles and responsibilities; journal structure and content; aims and scope; editorial, peer review and other policies and procedures; and dissemination. Simultaneously the Library undertook the publishing of its first electronic book, where issues of presentation, page turning, photo placement, and indexing became significant. Results: The inaugural issue of the Journal of eScience Librarianship was published on February 15, 2012 via the journal management platform of the Library’s institutional repository, eScholarship@UMMS. JESLIB has been assigned ISSN 2161-3974. The medical school joined CrossRef so that article metadata could be deposited into their system and each article assigned a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). Additional issues have been published, readership statistics and patterns are positive, and JESLIB is now indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals. In fall 2012, the Library published its first eBook, “A History of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, which was authored by the medical school’s head of the Office of Medical History and Archives. Conclusions: Academic medical libraries can successfully publish as well as host online journals and books. Utilizing the institutional repository for publishing purposes offers a number of advantages. The repository provides a tested infrastructure for ingesting and sharing of documents. The repository administrator possesses strong in-house expertise, experience with embargoes, metadata, preservation and dissemination, and most importantly, has built strong relationships and trust with faculty and researchers. The open access platform leads to wider dissemination and maximum impact, backed up by reliable usage statistics. Helpful planning guides and other resources are available to assist libraries and academic groups in publishing open access peer-reviewed materials. Lessons learned include: utilize professional copy editing services; locking papers for revisions speeds up workflows

Indigenous peoples' data during COVID-19 : from external to internal

This paper explores the particular issues that COVID-19 has highlighted for Indigenous Peoples, focusing on governance. While Indigenous Peoples need timely, relevant, high-quality data to inform their own pandemic response, the collection and use of such data are not without risk. Global disease trackers quantifying the size, spread, and distribution of COVID-19 illustrate the power of data during the pandemic. There are dual concerns about the availability and suppression of COVID-19 data: due to historic and ongoing racism and exclusion, publicly available data can be both beneficial and harmful. Indigenous Data Sovereignty draws upon the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.Global Affairs Canada (GAC

A prospective cohort study comparing the reactogenicity of trivalent influenza vaccine in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Background: Influenza vaccination during pregnancy can prevent serious illness in expectant mothers and provide protection to newborns; however, historically uptake has been limited due to a number of factors, including safety concerns. Symptomatic complaints are common during pregnancy and may be mistakenly associated with reactions to trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV). To investigate this, we compared post-vaccination events self-reported by pregnant women to events reported by non-pregnant women receiving TIV. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1,086 pregnant women and 314 non-pregnant female healthcare workers (HCWs) who received TIV between March-May 2014 were followed-up seven days post-vaccination to assess local and systemic adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs). Women were surveyed by text message regarding perceived reactions to TIV. Those reporting an AEFI completed an interview by telephone or mobile phone to ascertain details. Logistic regression models adjusting for age and residence were used to compare reactions reported by pregnant women and non-pregnant HCWs. Results: Similar proportions of pregnant women and non-pregnant, female HCWs reported ≥1 reaction following vaccination with TIV (13.0% and 17.3%, respectively; OR = 1.2 [95% CI: 0.8-1.8]). Non-pregnant, female HCWs were more likely to report fever or headache compared to pregnant women (OR: 4.6 [95% CI 2.1-10.3] and OR: 2.2 [95% CI 1.0-4.6], respectively). No other significant differences in reported symptoms were observed. No serious vaccine-associated adverse events were reported, and less than 2% of each group sought medical advice for a reaction. Conclusions: We found no evidence suggesting pregnant women are more likely to report adverse events following influenza vaccination when compared to non-pregnant female HCWs of similar age, and in some cases, pregnant women reported significantly fewer adverse events. These results further support the safety of TIV administered in pregnant women