Trends in Research Data Services in Academic Research Libraries

The report profiles the data curation and data management services of six major university libraries – The University of Virginia Health Sciences, the University of Texas Austin, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Indiana University Bloomington, the University of Iowa and the University of Edinburgh. Each profile is based on detailed interviews with major players in the data curation/data management efforts of these universities. The report was written by Janet A. Crum, head of library technology at Northern Arizona University; Ms. Crum has an MLS from the University of Washington and has worked in library technology and library administration in academic and research libraries for over 25 years. She has published articles on emerging roles for biomedical librarians, 3D printing and makerspaces, and managing electronic resources in libraries. Note that the primary research approach in this report is through long, detailed, journalistic-style interviews predominantly though not exclusively focused on qualitative information. Among the many issues explored in the 61-page report: • The Development and Management of Data Repositories • Training, Outreach and Consultations with Faculty, Administration & Students • Partnerships with Data Services Non-Profits and Private Companies • Relations with Offices of Research, Sponsored Research & Grants Management • Detailed Data on Use of Data Repository and Data Management Services • Policies on Data Access and Permissions • Funding and Staff Size and Development for Data Services • History of Data Services Development in the Respective Universities Profiled • Institutional Departmental Structuring of the Data Services Effort • Provision and Training for Data Visualization and Data Analysis • Program Assessment and Analysis of End User Requests • End User Needs Assessment • Technical Infrastructure • Licensing Agreements with Researchers • Coordination of Various University Centers for Data Services • Meeting Federal Research Data Requirements And much more.