Data Management Planning: Informing Research Data Management in Academic Libraries Today and the Skills Needed for Future Librarians

Abstract

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.