Smit, Mike
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10222/42825
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Item Open Access Data Management Planning: Informing Research Data Management in Academic Libraries Today and the Skills Needed for Future Librarians(2016) Grynoch, Tess; Smit, Michael; Stevenson, Sarah E.Academic libraries in Canada are taking the lead in research data management (RDM) as they strive to assist researchers in addressing Canada's move to join the global trend of adding data dissemination and preservation requirements to public research funding. The transition to include academic research data in collections of local scholarly communications requires a substantial expansion of traditional library services. Academic libraries are addressing the addition of RDM services in three primary ways: building on existing expertise within their systems, participating in national and international collaborations and training opportunities, and looking to library and information science (LIS) programs to supply skilled RDM graduates. While managing data is currently a component of LIS education, this skill has only recently become emphasized within the curriculum, and even recent graduates may not have put this skill to use in library settings where working with information and knowledge is the norm. This paper will detail the experiential learning opportunity of a Master of Library and Information Studies student who applied data management skills learned in the classroom to a real-life setting. The student created a data management plan for a university researcher in the sciences by completing a data inventory, collecting information in interviews, reviewing related literature, and applying class-based learning. The resulting understanding of best practices in RDM and the experience of creating this DMP were used to inform RDM best practices and procedures at the Dalhousie University Libraries and the development of future RDM courses and training opportunities at Dalhousie University’s School of Information Management, and may similarly inform other academic libraries and LIS/information schools.Item Open Access Individual Perspectives on Data Sharing: Human Factors Impacting the Digital Economy(2021-08-15) Smit, Michael; Larose, Cassandra; Falvey, Conor; Fitzsimmons, Shayla; Macdonald, ChristinaDigital economies rely on the exchange and sharing of data, but this type of sharing is relatively new. Any digital transformation will include a shift from data as a protected asset to data as a tool for collaboration and network building, but this requires a shift in individual and organizational mindsets. We examined individual perspectives that influence the decisions to share government and research open data by reviewing and synthesizing a decade of research, with a particular focus on how human psychology can introduce or exacerbate barriers. After a systematic, multi-stage search and article selection process, we identified 58 research articles that focused on this subject, with over one third published in the last few years. We clustered individual perspectives into six broad themes of barriers, and identified strategies for mitigating these barriers from the same literature.Item Open Access Beyond Statistical Literacy: Open Data For Teaching, Collaboration, And Profit(2021-06-10) Smit, MichaelResearchers, governments, and businesses grapple with the abundance of relevant data because consultants claim its effective use will lead to untold wealth and prosperity. To access this pot of gold, a modern university graduate must be data literate: able to critically collect, manage, evaluate, and make use of data. Our study of best practices on data literacy education defined core competencies, some of which overlap heavily with statistical literacy, and how to teach them effectively. We’ve found that open data is a challenging but useful mechanism to allow students to find data they find engaging and motivating. This talk will review these data literacy projects and the core skills needed to work with open data effectively, describe how improved availability of data contributes to collaboration and networking, and complain that contrary to what the consultants tell us, we struggle to articulate and measure the economic value of open data.Item Open Access Toward Best Practices for Unstructured Descriptions of Research Data(ASIS&T, 2021-10) Phillips, Dan; Smit, Michael; Phillips, DanAchieving the potential of widespread sharing of open research data requires that sharing data is straightforward, supported, and well-understood; and that data is discoverable by researchers. Our literature review and environment scan suggest that while substantial effort is dedicated to structured descriptions of research data, unstructured fields are commonly available (title, description) yet poorly understood. There is no clear description of what information should be included, in what level of detail, and in what order. These human-readable fields, routinely used in indexing and search features and reliably federated, are essential to the research data user experience. We propose a set of high-level best practices for unstructured description of datasets, to serve as the essential starting point for more granular, discipline-specific guidance. We based these practices on extensive review of literature on research article abstracts; archival practice; experience in supporting research data management; and grey literature on data documentation. They were iteratively refined based on comments received in a webinar series with researchers, data curators, data repository managers, and librarians in Canada. We demonstrate the need for information research to more closely examine these unstructured fields and provide a foundation for a more detailed conversation.Item Open Access Proficient Use of Open Data Requires These Core Information Skills: An Open Data Community Perspective(2018) Chantel, Ridsdale; Adrienne, Colborne; Smit, MichaelExpanding access to open data, such as government data and research data, requires that we consider how citizens and stakeholders can best access the value these data hold. Should individuals rely on an intermediary to create information products from the data, or should they dive in and work with raw data? Building on previous work defining a core set of data literacy skills, we convened a workshop with 34 open data professionals to define the core set of skills for working with open data: "open data literacy". Analysis of their perspectives reveals a focus on non-technical skills, like creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking, as a priority over technical skills like coding and visualization. We describe their perspective in detail, and reflect on the significance of our findings for information professionals. Élargir l'accès aux données ouvertes, telles que les données gouvernementales et les données de recherche, exige que nous examinions comment les citoyens et les parties prenantes peuvent le mieux accéder à la valeur de ces données. Les individus devraient-ils compter sur un intermédiaire pour créer des produits informationnels à partir des données, ou devraient-ils faire le plongeon et travailler avec les données brutes? Sur la base de travaux antérieurs définissant un ensemble de compétences de bases permettant de travailler avec des données, nous avons organisé un atelier avec 34 professionnels des données libres dans le but de définir un ensemble de compétences de base permettant de travailler avec des données ouvertes : « open data literacy ». L'analyse de leurs perspectives révèle que l'accent est mis sur les compétences non techniques, telles que la créativité, la curiosité et la pensée critique, plutôt que sur les compétences techniques comme le codage et la visualisation. Nous décrivons leur point de vue en détail et réfléchissons à l'importance de nos constatations pour les professionnels de l'information.Item Open Access Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System: Cyberinfrastructure Investigative Evaluation(2017-11-30) Smit, Michael; Kelly, Richard; Fitzsimmons, Shayla; Bruce, Scott; Bulger, Craig; Covey, Brad; Davis, Richard; Gosse, Ryan; Owens, Dwight; Pirenne, BenoîtNumerous countries have employed a coordinated network of government agencies, research institutions, and private companies to establish national integrated Ocean Observing Systems (OOSes). Although Canada boasts a robust and diverse ocean economy, the country has implemented no such network To better adapt in the face of a changing environment and to assist the country in meeting national and international commitments, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has commissioned investigative evaluations (IEs) to determine the cost and feasibility of creating a Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS). This report contains the recommendations of the Cyberinfrastructure IE, and outlines three models, low, moderate and high, with varying levels of service. To determine an appropriate cyberinfrastructure configuration for CIOOS, information was gathered from both national and international sources. Systems and standards were evaluated, stakeholders surveyed, and existing international OOSes consulted to identify potential limits or gaps to the implementation of CIOOS.Item Open Access Towards a Unified Vision for Ocean Data Management in Canada: Results of an Expert Forum(MEOPAR, 2016-05) Wilson, Lee; Smit, Michael; Wallace, Douglas W. R.The world’s oceans are a critical part of the Earth system. Sound knowledge and understanding of the oceans is essential for mitigating human impacts on the global environment and for promoting sustainable economic use of the marine environment, including: the safe and sustainable use of natural resources; the assessment of and adaptation to climate change; deep knowledge about complex and interconnected ecosystems; our understanding of the entire Earth system; and health and public safety. Knowledge and understanding, in turn, depends on access to accurate, rich, available, and integrated ocean data, much of which is generated by regional Ocean Observing Systems (OOS) operating in our ocean and coastal zones. Such data is also increasingly relevant to stakeholders outside the oceans community, with a recent report suggesting that the industry sector engaged with ocean observation had revenues of over $7 billion in the U.S. alone, driven in part by their national OOS (NOAA, 2016). A careful re- examination of our data management practices, including how we share, access, and use data, is necessary to ensure we are leveraging Canada’s ocean data to best support scientific excellence, foster collaboration and innovation, and harness ocean data to inform decision-makers and other stakeholders. The Expert Forum on Ocean Data Management (November 18-19, 2015 in Montreal, Canada) brought together national and international experts and stakeholders to present and evaluate international best practices in managing data from ocean observations, the current state of ocean data collected and managed in Canada, and goals and visions for the future of ocean data management (ODM) in Canada. Planned based on input from the Community of Practice on Ocean Data Management (CoP ODM), and organized and sponsored by the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) network, this forum built on previous events including a national Data Management Workshop (March, 2014) and a joint DFO-MEOPAR Workshop on Ocean Data Management in the Atlantic Canada Region (July, 2015). Over fifty participants from government, academia, and the private sector attended. International representatives from the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), MARUM (Center for Marine Environmental Sciences), and European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) described ODM experiences, lessons, and best practices in the United States and Europe. Canadian experts included representatives from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) who spoke of the need to move ODM in Canada forward in an integrated manner; from Portage / Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) on the current state of research data management nationally; and from Compute Canada on their interest and capabilities in data storage. Members of the ODM CoP and other invitees spoke about how their organizations collected, managed, and shared ocean observation data at regional centres across Canada. (See Appendix B for a full list of participants. The Expert Forum program and presentations are available on our website at http://meopar.ca/calendar/event/856/.) Following the expert presentations, attendees of the Expert Forum participated in facilitated breakout and group discussions around two broad themes: “what do we envision” for the future of ocean observation data in Canada, and “what are we willing to commit” to achieve this vision. These discussions were led and informed by representatives of the CoP, who drew on their wealth of experience managing ocean data and history of advocating for improved collaboration in ocean data management. The vision that emerged from the discussion was unambiguous. Participants were ready for the federal government to take a leadership and support role in the formation of a Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS). Participants envisioned a national system that is robust, accessible, flexible, and sustainable, encompassing technology, expertise, services, and governance capable of providing single-source discovery, search, and wide-ranging access to quality ocean data for all stakeholders. Participants identified that one of Canada’s existing strengths is strong, regionally- based data collection on all three Canadian coasts, existing collaborations with DFO, and the consensus was that a system similar in principle to the U.S. IOOS model (a federated model of regional nodes with central coordination and incentives) would make best use of existing expertise and experience. The shared goal was an integrated platform for ocean data that would allow for Canadians (including researchers, decision-makers, and the general public) to benefit from the exemplary science and ocean observation already taking place throughout the country. A more detailed vision is presented in Section IV. In turn, the members of the CoP “committed to commit.” There was widespread recognition that such an initiative is necessary and timely and that the CoP members would be willing to offer their expertise and experience. Representatives of the existing ocean data centres in Canada agreed to continue their engagement in the process, expending time and energy toward defining and realizing this important initiative. A specific list of commitments and next steps is described in Sections V and VI.Item Open Access Being where the people are: The challenges and benefits of search engine visibility for public libraries(Emerald Group Publishing, 2015) Dickinson, Zoe; Smit, MichaelPurpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the challenges and benefits presented by search engine visibility for public libraries. The article outlines the preliminary results of a pilot study investigating search engine visibility in two Canadian public libraries, and discusses practical approaches to search engine visibility. Methodology: The study consists of semi-structured interviews with librarians from two multi-branch Canadian public library systems, combined with quantitative data provided by each library, as well as data obtained through site-specific searches in Google and Bing. Possible barriers to visibility are identified through thematic analysis of the interviews. Practical approaches are identified by the author based on a literature review. Findings: The initial findings of this pilot study identify a complex combination of barriers to visibility on search engines, in the form of attitudes, policies, organizational structures, and technological difficulties. Research limitations This article describes a small, preliminary pilot study. More research is needed before any firm conclusions can be reached. Practical implications: A review of the literature shows the increasing importance of search engine visibility for public libraries. This article outlines practical approaches which can be undertaken immediately by libraries, as well as delving into the underlying issues which may be affecting libraries’ progress on the issue. Originality/Value: There has been little original research investigating the reasons behind libraries’ lack of visibility in search engine results pages. This article provides insight into a previously unexplored area by exploring public libraries’ relationships with search engines.Item Open Access Strategies and Best Practices for Data Literacy Education: Knowledge Synthesis Report(2015) Ridsdale, Chantel; Rothwell, James; Smit, Michael; Ali-Hassan, Hossam; Bliemel, Michael; Irvine, Dean; Kelley, Daniel; Matwin, Stan; Wuetherick, Bradley