New Roles / New RulesInformation Professionals in Research Data Management

Sally Gore, MS, MS LISInformationist and Embedded LibrarianLamar Soutter LibraryUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School

SallyHELLO MY NAME IS

TODAYIn this course you will explore the current relationships between libraries and their stakeholders seeking institutional support managing their research data. Data-intensive science and research are providing opportunities for new roles to emerge for information professionals. This course explores these roles and services, and uses the case study method to prepare participants from all academic backgrounds for roles in scientific research data management. This course aims to help prepare information professionals for engaging with scientists and for developing data management plans for their stakeholders' research projects. The course examines the data practices of researchers in scientific fields such as biomedicine and engineering to illustrate how researchers produce data, and how other researchers re-use these data for purposes of inquiry. We will explore the information tools used for research data management planning, research, data, and graduate student lifecycles, and we will explore a variety of strategies information professionals are using to provide data consultancy services to their institutions' researchers.

TODAYWhat is the library’s role in RDM? What is an embedded librarian?What is a data librarian?What is an eScience librarian?Who is a data scientist? (I really have no idea.)

TODAYWhat do I do?How do I do it?

e· merg· ing  (e-mûr´jing) Newly formed or just coming into prominence.

e· volv· ing (e-volv´ing) To develop or achieve gradually.

tran· si· tion· ing (tran-zish´en-ing) Passing from one form, state, style, or place to another.

Information Literacy Librarian

Research & Scholarly

Communications Librarian

Informationist ?2005 2008 2012

Data-intensive science and research are providing opportunities for new roles to emerge for information professionals.

… the classic roles of libraries:

• developing and preserving collections• developing access schema• developing services to meet information needs

provide an important base from which to develop roles in eScience.

The Data Deluge: Can Libraries Cope with e-ScienceMarcum & George, editors

… the classic roles of libraries:

• developing and preserving collections• of what?• developing access schema• what’s metadata?• developing services to meet information needs

Build networks – how? “Middle Man” – aren’t we cutting them out? Data LITERACY – are we data literate to begin with?

What do you think?Professionals need an

array of other competencies.

How much do the knowledge and skills requirements vary among roles?

Let’s discuss!

Cynthia Fuhrmann, PhD, Asst. Dean, Career & Professional DevelopmentUMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Varying Roles / Varying Skills Informationist

◦ “Promoting Breast Cancer Screening in Non-Adherent Women,” R01 CA-132935

AIMS• Improve effectiveness and

efficiency of communication w/in team regarding data

• Articulate technology issues related to implementation of the study

• Enhance information organization, management, utilization and access skills of team members

• Assess value of an informationist to the research team

Embedded Librarian◦ Community Engagement Research

Section of UMass Center for Clinical & Translational Science

AIMS Build a catalog of resources on

the topic that will serve as a foundation for research, program development, and education.

Knowledge management services including lit searches, bibliographic management, data management, information organization, database design, and knowledge mapping

Research and assist development of tools and/or means to promote collaborations between researchers engaged in CER

What’s in your toolbox?

Skills (usual suspects)

• Database Management• Database Design• Data Mining• Information Retrieval Systems• Natural Language Processing• Research Methods• Statistics• Digital Preservation• Information Architecture• Information Visualization

Subject Knowledge and/or Expertise?

But then what?• Improve communication

• Articulate problems• Enhance skills of others• Build catalog of resources• Knowledge management• Research & Development

It is not Apple* that is causing smoking to decline at the incredible rate that it has over the last 20 or 30 years. It is a broad network of people - some of them working for government agencies, some of them just by word of mouth, some of them philanthropic organizations - that are kind of spreading the word and getting people to give up this dangerous habit.

~ Steven Johnson

“Who Needs a Boss When You Have Your Co-Workers?”Megan GambinoSmithsonian.com, September 25, 2012Jacket design by Alex Merto/Portrait by Nina Subin

*Read “technology and data”.

Kim, Y, Addom, B.K., & Stanton, J.M., (2011) Education for eScience Professionals:Integrating data curation and cyberinfrastructure, The International Journal of

Digital Curation, 1(6), 125-138.

emergingevolving

transitioning

Skills +

Being comfortable with ambiguity

Being entrepreneurial in spirito creativeo risk-taking

Being self-confidentBeing inquisitive

People Skills

Getting the Skills You Need

Traditional

Take a classEarn a degreeGo to a workshopTake CE classesGo to professional

meetingsRead, write, talk to

colleagues Job shadow

Non-traditional

Take a class, but…WHAT ELSE??

But…Time & $$

Let’s discuss!

On the horizon…

TOP TIPSPersonalising Library Services in Higher Education, Priestner & Tilley, eds.

READ

WRITE (share)Blog postsThoughtful commentsQuestions and discussion prompts on

listservsTweets

TRY

Questions?Comments?Thoughts?Ideas?Cake?

Thank You!Sally.Gore@umassmed.edu