Macdonald, Stuart

Rice, Robin

English

During autumn and winter 2012-13, data librarians at the University of Edinburgh led a pilot course on Research Data Management (RDM) based on the research data MANTRA course2 originally developed by Edinburgh University Data Library for early career researchers. Materials from the course were subsequently assembled to produce the ‘Do-It-Yourself Research Data Management Training Kit for Librarians’

Edinburgh Research Explorer

     Edinburgh Research Explorer                                      Research Data Management Training for Librarians – AnEdinburgh ApproachCitation for published version:Rice, R & Macdonald, S 2013, 'Research Data Management Training for Librarians – An EdinburghApproach' ALISS Quarterly , vol 8, no. 3.Link:Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research ExplorerDocument Version:Preprint (usually an early version)Published In:ALISS QuarterlyGeneral rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s)and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise andabide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policyThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorercontent complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright pleasecontact openaccess@ed.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately andinvestigate your claim.Download date: 20. Feb. 2015Research	  Data	  Management	  Training	  for	  Librarians	  –	  An	  Edinburgh	  Approach	  	  Robin	  Rice	  (r.rice@ed.ac.uk),	  Data	  Librarian,	  University	  of	  Edinburgh	  Stuart	  Macdonald	  (stuart.macdonald@ed.ac.uk),	  Associate	  Data	  Librarian,	  University	  of	  Edinburgh	  	  There	  is	  an	  abundance	  of	  pointers	  in	  recent	  literature	  for	  academic	  libraries	  to	  move	  "upstream"	  in	  the	  publication	  process	  and	  work	  more	  closely	  with	  researchers	  at	  the	  pre-­‐publication	  stages	  (Gold,	  2007).	  For	  example,	  LIBER	  (Association	  of	  European	  Research	  Libraries)	  set	  down	  "	  Ten	  Recommendations	  for	  Libraries	  to	  Get	  Started	  with	  Research	  Data	  Management"	  in	  2012,	  including	  providing	  support	  services	  for	  data	  management	  plans,	  metadata	  and	  data	  standards,	  developing	  staff	  skills	  in	  data	  librarianship,	  encouraging	  open	  data	  policies,	  supporting	  the	  entire	  research	  data	  lifecycle	  and	  promoting	  data	  citation.	  This	  is	  reinforced	  by	  the	  JISC	  Managing	  Research	  Data	  programme1	  	  (2011-­‐1013)	  in	  particular	  the	  Research	  Data	  Management	  Training	  strand	  whose	  aim	  was	  to	  increase	  research	  data	  management	  skills	  in	  UK	  higher	  education	  and	  research	  organisations	  by	  providing	  high	  quality	  training	  materials	  developed	  to	  serve	  the	  needs	  of	  a	  variety	  of	  roles	  and	  stakeholders.	  	  During	  autumn	  and	  winter	  2012-­‐13,	  data	  librarians	  at	  the	  University	  of	  Edinburgh	  led	  a	  pilot	  course	  on	  Research	  Data	  Management	  (RDM)	  based	  on	  the	  research	  data	  MANTRA	  course2	  originally	  developed	  by	  Edinburgh	  University	  Data	  Library	  for	  early	  career	  researchers.	  Materials	  from	  the	  course	  were	  subsequently	  assembled	  to	  produce	  the	  ‘Do-­‐It-­‐Yourself	  Research	  Data	  Management	  Training	  Kit	  for	  Librarians’.	  The	  training	  kit	  uses	  a	  blended	  learning	  approach	  and	  is	  designed	  to	  contain	  everything	  needed	  for	  academic	  librarians	  in	  small	  groups	  to	  get	  themselves	  up	  to	  speed	  on	  five	  key	  topics	  in	  RDM.	  It	  makes	  no	  assumptions	  about	  the	  role	  of	  librarians	  in	  supporting	  research	  data	  management,	  but	  aims	  to	  empower	  librarians	  to	  support	  each	  other	  in	  gaining	  confidence	  in	  this	  area	  of	  research	  support.	  It	  also	  provides	  some	  training	  in	  three	  of	  the	  identified	  skills	  that	  are	  named	  as	  gaps	  in	  the	  RLUK	  report,	  Re-­‐skilling	  for	  Research	  (Auckland,	  2012):	  • Knowledge	  to	  advise	  on	  data	  management	  and	  curation,	  including	  ingest,	  discovery,	  access,	  dissemination,	  preservation,	  and	  portability	  	  • Knowledge	  to	  support	  researchers	  in	  complying	  with	  the	  various	  mandates	  of	  funders,	  including	  open	  access	  requirements	  	  • Knowledge	  to	  advocate,	  and	  advise	  on,	  the	  use	  of	  metadata	  and	  touches	  on	  some	  others,	  such	  as	  the	  "Ability	  to	  advise	  on	  preserving	  research	  outputs."	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  1	  http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/di_researchmanagement/managingresearchdata.aspx	  2	  http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/	  The	  training	  comprises	  five	  2-­‐hour	  face-­‐to-­‐face	  sessions.	  These	  open	  with	  short	  talks	  followed	  by	  group	  exercises	  from	  the	  UK	  Data	  Archive	  with	  discussion	  in	  a	  private	  collegiate	  setting.	  Emphasis	  is	  placed	  on	  facilitation	  and	  individual	  learning	  rather	  than	  long	  lectures	  and	  passive	  listening.	  MANTRA	  modules	  are	  used	  as	  reading	  assignments	  and	  reflective	  writing	  questions	  are	  designed	  to	  help	  librarians	  'put	  themselves	  in	  the	  shoes	  of	  the	  researcher'.	  Learning	  is	  reinforced	  and	  put	  into	  practice	  through	  an	  independent	  study	  assignment	  of	  completing	  and	  publishing	  an	  interview	  with	  a	  researcher	  using	  the	  Data	  Curation	  Profile	  framework	  developed	  by	  D2C2	  at	  Purdue	  University.	  	  	  Topics	  The	  training	  kit	  focuses	  on	  learning	  objectives	  for	  the	  following	  topics:	  	  Data	  management	  planning	  	  Including	  an	  understanding	  of	  appropriate	  data	  management	  in	  accordance	  with	  responsible	  conduct	  of	  research,	  an	  awareness	  of	  good	  practice	  in	  managing	  research,	  and	  an	  understanding	  of	  what	  constitutes	  a	  data	  management	  plan.	  	  	  Organising	  &	  documenting	  data	  	  	  Combining	  two	  MANTRA	  units	  to	  provide	  an	  understanding	  of	  why	  it	  is	  important	  to	  organise	  and	  document	  research	  data	  including	  managing	  data	  file	  versioning,	  naming	  and	  re-­‐naming	  conventions,	  and	  an	  appreciation	  of	  why	  and	  when	  to	  use	  metadata.	  	  Data	  storage	  &	  security	  Providing	  an	  awareness	  of	  secure	  data	  storage	  options	  and	  the	  importance	  of	  regular	  data	  backups.	  	  Ethics	  &	  copyright	  Focusing	  on	  the	  ethical	  requirements	  that	  apply	  to	  the	  collection	  and	  management	  of	  data	  involving	  human	  subjects,	  and	  providing	  an	  appreciation	  of	  the	  difference	  between	  privacy	  and	  confidentiality	  and	  how	  they	  apply	  to	  the	  management	  of	  research	  data.	  It	  also	  explains	  what	  IPR	  is	  and	  how	  it	  applies	  to	  research	  data	  as	  well	  as	  how	  Freedom	  of	  Information	  and	  related	  legislation	  affects	  access	  to	  research	  data.	  	  Data	  sharing	  	  Introducing	  the	  benefits,	  challenges	  and	  drivers	  associated	  with	  sharing	  research	  data	  as	  well	  as	  the	  raising	  awareness	  of	  the	  risks	  to	  the	  longevity	  of	  digital	  data.	  The	  topic	  also	  introduces	  the	  basic	  concepts	  of	  digital	  preservation	  and	  trusted	  repositories,	  and	  data	  licensing.	  	  Training	  kit	  contents	  •	   Promotional	  slides	  for	  the	  RDM	  Training	  Kit	  	  •	   Training	  schedule	  	  •	   Research	  Data	  MANTRA	  online	  course	  by	  EDINA	  and	  Data	  Library,	  University	  of	  Edinburgh:	  http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra	  	  •	   Reflective	  writing	  questions	  •	   Selected	  group	  exercises	  (with	  answers)	  from	  UK	  Data	  Archive,	  University	  of	  Essex	  -­‐	  Managing	  and	  sharing	  data:	  Training	  resources.	  September,	  2011	  (PDF).	  Complete	  RDM	  Resources	  Training	  Pack	  available:	  http://data-­‐archive.ac.uk/create-­‐manage/training-­‐resources	  	  •	   Podcasts	  for	  short	  talks	  by	  the	  original	  Edinburgh	  speakers	  if	  running	  course	  without	  ‘live’	  speakers	  (Windows	  or	  Quicktime	  versions).	  	  •	   Presentation	  files	  (pptx)	  if	  learners	  decide	  to	  take	  turns	  presenting	  each	  topic.	  •	   Evaluation	  forms	  	  •	   Independent	  study	  assignment:	  Data	  Curation	  Profile,	  from	  D2C2,	  Purdue	  University	  Libraries.	  Resources	  available:	  http://datacurationprofiles.org/	  	  	  Independent	  study:	  Data	  Curation	  Profiles	  	  In	  the	  University	  of	  Edinburgh	  pilot	  training,	  the	  evaluations	  indicated	  that	  overall	  the	  librarians	  considered	  what	  they	  were	  learning	  was	  of	  value	  to	  them.	  However,	  there	  was	  no	  ready	  way	  to	  apply	  their	  knowledge	  in	  their	  day	  to	  day	  work.	  In	  order	  to	  test	  their	  knowledge	  and	  also	  increase	  the	  confidence	  of	  the	  librarians	  to	  engage	  in	  discussions	  with	  researchers	  about	  data	  management,	  a	  post-­‐training	  independent	  study	  was	  assigned.	  Data	  Curation	  Profiles,	  hosted	  by	  the	  Distributed	  Data	  Curation	  Center	  at	  the	  Purdue	  University	  Libraries,	  were	  the	  chosen	  method	  for	  the	  independent	  study	  work.	  	  Data	  Curation	  Profiles	  provide	  a	  complete	  framework	  for	  interviewing	  a	  researcher	  in	  any	  discipline	  about	  their	  research	  data	  and	  their	  data	  management	  practices.	  Register	  on	  the	  DCP	  Toolkit	  website,	  http://datacurationprofiles.org	  to	  download	  the	  user	  guide,	  interviewer’s	  manual,	  interview	  worksheet	  and	  template,	  as	  well	  as	  to	  access	  the	  user	  support	  forum.	  The	  pilot	  course	  was	  deemed	  successful	  by	  participants	  and	  Information	  Services	  managers,	  and	  another	  round	  of	  training	  with	  another	  small	  group	  is	  about	  to	  begin.	  Meanwhile,	  the	  first	  group	  of	  librarians	  are	  in	  the	  process	  of	  pursuing	  their	  independent	  studies	  -­‐	  interviews	  with	  researchers	  from	  liaison	  constituencies	  resulting	  in	  new	  public	  Data	  Curation	  Profiles.	  The	  DIY	  Training	  Kit	  is	  designed	  to	  contain	  everything	  needed	  to	  complete	  a	  similar	  training	  course	  independently	  (in	  small	  groups)	  and	  is	  based	  on	  open	  educational	  materials.	  	  Users	  can	  apply	  their	  own	  creativity	  to	  reshape	  the	  course	  as	  they	  wish.	  For	  example,	  there	  are	  a	  number	  of	  group	  exercises	  available	  from	  the	  UKDA	  training	  resources	  pack,	  many	  of	  which	  are	  not	  included	  here.	  	  The	  public	  release	  of	  the	  Do-­‐It-­‐Yourself	  Research	  Data	  Management	  Training	  Kit	  for	  Librarians	  is	  now	  available	  under	  a	  CC-­‐BY	  licence:	  http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/libtraining.html.	  	  Recommendations	  for	  further	  study	  	  • MANTRA	  has	  software	  modules	  in	  data	  handling	  using	  one	  of	  four	  common	  data	  analysis	  packages.	  You	  can	  print	  off	  the	  user	  guide,	  download	  the	  dataset	  and	  work	  through	  the	  exercises	  at	  your	  own	  pace	  (some	  familiarity	  with	  each	  software	  package	  is	  suggested	  as	  a	  pre-­‐requisite).	  	  • Data	  Intelligence	  4	  Librarians	  is	  another	  online	  course,	  developed	  by	  data	  librarians	  at	  3TU.Datacentrum	  in	  the	  Netherlands	  -­‐	  available	  in	  Dutch	  and	  English.	  Their	  "Data	  management"	  unit	  is	  similar	  to	  MANTRA,	  but	  you	  could	  investigate	  more	  librarian-­‐specific	  advanced	  topics	  by	  working	  through	  "Technical	  Skills"	  and	  "Acquisition	  and	  Advice"	  on	  your	  own.	  	  • The	  UK	  Digital	  Curation	  Centre	  (DCC)	  website	  provides	  a	  clearinghouse	  of	  valuable	  information.	  In	  particular,	  browse	  their	  Resources	  for	  digital	  curators	  to	  find	  useful	  and	  up	  to	  date	  reading	  material.	  	  • The	  DCC	  also	  hosts	  a	  relevant	  email	  discussion	  list	  with	  subscribers	  from	  around	  the	  world.	  Join	  Research-­‐dataman	  on	  JISCMail.	  	  • Last	  but	  not	  least	  we	  encourage	  anyone	  whose	  job	  involves	  academic	  data	  support	  to	  consider	  joining	  IASSIST,	  the	  international	  professional	  organisation	  for	  data	  professionals	  from	  all	  sorts	  of	  environments	  dealing	  with	  social	  and	  other	  types	  of	  research	  data.	  IASSIST	  hosts	  a	  vibrant	  annual	  conference	  -­‐	  normally	  in	  the	  US,	  Canada	  or	  Europe.	  Their	  Fellows	  awards	  provides	  international	  travel	  stipends	  to	  selected	  applicants	  to	  broaden	  attendance	  from	  other	  countries.	  	  References	  	  Gold,	  Anna.	  Cyberinfrastructure,	  Data,	  and	  Libraries,	  Part	  2:	  Libraries	  and	  the	  Data	  Challenge:	  Roles	  and	  Actions	  for	  Libraries.	  Dlib	  Magazine,	  September/October	  2007.	  doi:10.1045/september2007-­‐gold-­‐pt2	  	  LIBER	  Working	  Group	  on	  E-­‐science.	  Ten	  Recommendations	  for	  Libraries	  to	  Get	  Started	  with	  Research	  Data	  Management	  	  The	  Hague,	  Netherlands:	  LIBER,	  2012.	  http://www.libereurope.eu/sites/default/files/The%20research%20data%20group%202012%20v7%20final.pdf	  Auckland,	  Mary.	  Re-­‐skilling	  for	  Research	  	  London:	  Research	  Libraries	  UK	  (RLUK),	  January	  2012.http://www.rluk.ac.uk/files/RLUK%20Re-­‐skilling.pdf.	  	  

Research Data Management Training for Librarians – An Edinburgh Approach

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