Examination of Federal Data Management Plan Guidelines

Data management plans as expectations of the grant proposal process are still fairly novel, and the expected format and content of these plans is still evolving. The objective of this research is to gain a greater understanding of the expected content for data management plans submitted as part of grant proposals to federal funding agencies. This paper examines federal funding agencies’ data management plan guidelines in relation to the broad elements of data management identified by the Interagency Working Group on Digital Data: Description, Impact, Content & Format, Protection, Preservation, Access, and Transfer of Responsibility. Specifically, statements in agencies’ guidelines were categorized into the most applicable category (or categories). The representation of each category within each agency’s guidelines was addressed, and the statements falling in each category were analyzed. Some categories, including Access and Preservation, were represented in all or nearly all of the guidelines examined. Other categories — Impact and Transfer of Responsibility — were rarely addressed. The expectations for data management plans are evolving and will likely continue to evolve as more agencies require them

Stewarding Nebraska\u27s Digital Heritage

In Nebraska, little is known of the potential needs and perceived challenges related to stewarding digital materials in libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs)), many of which are operating in small communities with limited resources. This presentation outlines the preparation, design, and results of a questionnaire distributed to Nebraska-based LAMs to gain a better understanding of the current state of digital stewardship across Nebraska

Media and Repository Support Unit, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, Annual Report July 2018–June 2019

Increasingly, libraries are recognizing the importance of providing access to the research output of their universities. In a June 10, 2019, news release from the provosts of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) titled “Sustaining Values and Scholarship” (available at https://tinyurl.com/yyu94aa9), they state, “The Big Ten Academic Alliance will continue its advocacy for a sustainable and open ecosystem of publication. . . . Collectively, our institutions’ more than 50,000 faculty are supported by over $10 billion (2017) in research funding, and our institutions have similarly invested significantly in our capacity to further our missions to advance knowledge. Together, we produce roughly 15% of the research publications in the United States.” This commitment to open information is reflected in the mission of the Media and Repository Support (MARS) unit of the UNL Libraries. We support the creation and preservation of the scholarly accomplishments of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln by providing an infrastructure for disseminating information and scholarship through Digital Commons (articles, reports, journals, books, and more), Luna (multimedia projects), and Rosetta (data) as well as by providing equipment that students and faculty can check out to capture video and digital images. Through our efforts, the intellectual contributions of UNL are provided, when possible, as open access to disseminate information to as wide a community as possible. We provide advice and consult with researchers and students on scholarly communication issues surrounding open education resources, copyright, options for rights management, publication, and preservation of information in coordination with other faculty and staff in the Libraries. We maintain close contact with staff from Archives & Special Collections to ensure that nondigital information is not overlooked in preservation plans. Faculty within the unit have developed close relationships with the UNL Office of Research, faculty across our campus, and colleagues at the other University of Nebraska campuses (through the University of Nebraska Consortium of Libraries, UNCL)

Discovery Investigative Group (DIG) Report, December 2016

This report is a response to the following charge from project sponsor DeeAnn Allison: Develop a working definition of the purpose and scope for a discovery tool that includes a description of what it should accomplish. How will it help scholars connect with information? The charge included a request to answer seven questions: 1. What content should be included and why? 2. What functions or search capabilities should be included? 3. What social media enhancements should be included? 4. How can it be structured to help both novice and advanced researchers? 5. Can you identify a “perfect” tool? If not, which ones are better and why? 6. Should we abandon Encore? Why or Why not? 7. What is the relation, or non-relation to Google products? Is a discovery tool just a variation of Google? Should it be? Over the course of the Fall 2016 semester, DIG committee members, comprised of seven Libraries faculty who voluntarily participated, met frequently to discuss the charge and determine how to best answer each question. Our answers were ultimately informed through a combination of reviewing the current literature, investigating peer institutions’ search tools, soliciting feedback from our library colleagues through a library-wide survey, and the committee members’ own insights. The responses to each of the following questions are a reflection of the consensus of the DIG committee members

Discovery Investigative Group (DIG) Report, December 2016

This report is a response to the following charge from project sponsor DeeAnn Allison: Develop a working definition of the purpose and scope for a discovery tool that includes a description of what it should accomplish. How will it help scholars connect with information? The charge included a request to answer seven questions: 1. What content should be included and why? 2. What functions or search capabilities should be included? 3. What social media enhancements should be included? 4. How can it be structured to help both novice and advanced researchers? 5. Can you identify a “perfect” tool? If not, which ones are better and why? 6. Should we abandon Encore? Why or Why not? 7. What is the relation, or non-relation to Google products? Is a discovery tool just a variation of Google? Should it be? Over the course of the Fall 2016 semester, DIG committee members, comprised of seven Libraries faculty who voluntarily participated, met frequently to discuss the charge and determine how to best answer each question. Our answers were ultimately informed through a combination of reviewing the current literature, investigating peer institutions’ search tools, soliciting feedback from our library colleagues through a library-wide survey, and the committee members’ own insights. The responses to each of the following questions are a reflection of the consensus of the DIG committee members

UNL Libraries Deposit Programs

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries offers several avenues for preserving and providing access to digital and physical research materials. This document outlines the four main avenues for depositing materials with UNL Libraries. Although there are separate repositories with specific missions—Archives & Special Collections, DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska–Lincoln, UNL Data Repository, and UNL Image & Multimedia Collections—all work together toward the goal of preserving the intellectual and creative output of the university and to make our contributions discoverable to state, national, and international communities. This document describes the operations of each repository. The Libraries policy is to publish, or provide online access to, materials (1) when the Libraries holds copyright, (2) when the copyright holder has granted the Libraries permission for online publication, or (3) when the Libraries do not hold copyright but may manage access behind a firewall. The University Libraries is committed to preserving and providing access to the full range of in-tellectual contributions of the faculty and staff at UNL for the benefit of current and future gen-erations. All members of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are encouraged to deposit content with UNL Libraries. Materials deposited in our institutional repositories are historical and not all historical events confirm to current standards of civility. As such, they may contain racial or sexual stereotypes that are inappropriate by today’s standards. They have been retained in order to fully represent the materials in their original context. All members of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are encouraged to deposit content with UNL Libraries. Content can be nondigital items supplied to Archives & Special Collections or digital content deposited in the Data, Image & Multimedia Collections, Digital Commons repositories, or University Archives

Lab of Dr. Morton McBrains Playbook

The playbook for the escape room created at the Morton-James Public Library in Nebraska City, NE in 2016. Includes descriptions and solutions for the 10 core puzzles in the room

Data Management for Grant Seekers

Will you be applying for a grant that requires a data management plan? Many federal funding organizations, including NSF and NIH, now require data management or sharing plans to be submitted along with grant proposals. This workshop will help you prepare your data management plan to conform with granting agencies’ policies on disseminating, preserving and sharing research results

Data Management Quick Guides

These guides provide basic information on various topics related to the management of research data, including:Data LifecycleFile Naming ConventionsFile OrganizationFile FormatsMetadata StandardsControlled VocabularyData DictionaryREADME.txtStorageBackupSecurityIntellectual PropertyRetentionEthic