Support for e-Research: Filling the Library Skills Gap

14th June 2007

11.30-12.00

Arrival and Registration

12.00-12.45

Welcome and Keynote
Saving private data, sharing Open Data? Role of libraries and institutional repositories in a data world...

Only 5 UK Institutional Repositories listed in OpenDOAR claim to include datasets. The AHRC plans to stop funding AHDS, at least partly based on the proposition that institutions are better placed to manage these data. On the other hand, some argue that institutional repositories are bad for curation of data, because close involvement of domain scientists is needed for effective curation. Edinburgh (along with other institutions, no doubt) is beginning to offer services to store large quantities of experimental data... but no curation capabilities (yet), just storage. How can we make sense of this?

Chris Rusbridge,

Director, Digital Curation Centre

12..45 – 13.00

Background –

Introduction to e-Research –Why a Task Force

Martin Lewis

Director of Library Services, University of Sheffield

13.00-13.45

BUFFET lunch

13.45-14.30

View from the Research Councils

Raising Awareness of e-Research in the Arts, the Impact on the Academic Researcher - Information Professional Support for Researchers and Data Deposit

Sheila Anderson Director of the Arts and Humanities Data Service

14.30-15.15

What is Data Anyway? Findings from the StORe Project

Project StORe has sought to understand the linkages which currently exist, or ideally should exist, between repositories of research 'source' data, and research 'output' data. This session will describe the findings of a mult-disciplinary survey, and demonstrate an approach to linkage which has been developed initially for the social science data domain. It will also raise more general issues about the lack of a shared understanding of what data is between those who do research and those who publish and manage it, and consider ways of resolving this problem.

John MacColl, Head, Digital Library, University of Edinburgh

15.15- 15.30

Questions/Discussion

15.30 – 15.45

Tea

15.45-16.00

Emerging Roles 1: Data Curation and Preservation

Universities and research funding bodies are gradually becoming more aware of the need to manage digital assets in a sustainable manner, whether these be generated by administrative processes, paid for through licenses, or created as part of digitisation programmes. In addition, researchers are responsible for the generation of increasingly vast amounts of digital data. In many cases, the long-term stewardship of such data is essential in helping to preserve the integrity of the scientific record and in enabling the innovative re-use of data to answer new research questions.

This presentation will outline the role of the Digital Curation Centre and other UK services in helping to support the long-term stewardship of data and other research outputs.

Michael Day UKOLN

16.00-16.30-

Emerging Roles2: in Support of e-Research

e-Research and the Data Librarian

Recent research carried out by the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training* indicates that the amount of data generated in the next five years will surpass the volume of data ever created (DEST 2007). This has obvious and significant implications for data access and storage, IPR and confidentiality, preservation and curation in addition to wider social issues such as the open access culture.

Data Library professionals are well positioned to offer significant contribution within this arena not only do they have the necessary data discovery skills but also provide access to, support and train those wishing to use research and statistical data. They can also perform an archival role, act as data interpreter and support disciplinary research methods within their institutions. Thus their role as facilitator within these innovative forms of research can be seen to take on added importance.

This presentation will discuss the above issues with particular reference to the recently awarded JISC-funded DISC-UK** DataShare project. This will introduce and scope new distributed models of data sharing and archiving for UK research institutions within an institutional repository environment.

*Department of Education, Science and Training (2007) "Backing Australia's Ability - An Ongoing Commitment" - URL: http://backingaus.innovation.gov.au/info_booklet/on_commit.htm ** Data Information Specialists Committee - UK - URL: http://www.disc-uk.org/

Luis Martinez, Data Librarian, LSE Library and Stuart Macdonald, EDINA/Edinburgh University Data Library

Questions

19.00

Drinks Reception and Dinner

15th June 2007

9.15- 10.00

Emerging Roles 3: Support for e-research in a Research Council Setting

Catherine Jones, Library Systems Development Manager, Science and Technology Facilities Council

10.00-11.30

Input from an e-Research Practitioner – e-science and Systems Biology - A Revolution in the Life Sciences?

Coffee/Tea- Data Access Grid Demos

Professor Chris Rawlings, Head of Biomathematics and Bioinformatics, Rothamsted Research.

11.30-11.45

Questions and Follow up Discussion

11.45-12.45

Panel Session and Discussion, Including Ideas for Development of Research Skills Training and Discussion of Further Training Requirements of Delegates

Introduction by NeSC Training Outreach Education Section

12.30 – 13.15

Buffet Lunch and Depart