The presentation features E-science competencies that are needed to manage and preserve data in medical and research settings. Elaine Martin, DA, Director of UMass Medical Center's Lamar Soutter Library, shows how librarians can take the lead in shaping new roles in libraries.
1. E L A I N E R . M A R T I N , D A
D I R E C T O R O F L I B R A R Y S E R V I C E S
U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A S S A C H U S E T T S M E D I C A L
S C H O O L , W O R C E S T E R
J U N E 2 0 1 1
E-Science: New Roles for
Libraries
2. Characteristics of EScience
Data Preservation
Data Curation
Data Management
Large Scale Data Sets
Large Scale Computing
Team Science
3. Implications for Librarians
Big changes!
Increased involvement with the research community
Setting standards for data curation and data
preservation
Interlibrary collaborations
Intercampus collaborations
Regional collaborations
4. The Escience Space for Medical Librarians
Pre-Clinical ( Helping researchers manage, organize
and preserve data generated from laboratory
experiments)
Clinical (CTSA) (Clinical research data)
5. Case Discussion: Data Interview
How are data in the lab or research environment
used?
How do researchers manage, preserve and store
data?
How easy would it be to share the data with another
researcher who needed or wanted access (e.g. data
sharing plan)?
What are the issues for sharing data?
Is there a role for the library? IT? Other groups on
campus?
6. New Roles for Librarians
Use skills to integrate, manipulate, preserve, and
reuse data sets
Improve strategies for service design, quality, and
assessment
Collaborations and partnerships
Embedded librarians with scientific knowledge
working as part of a research team (biocurationist,
informationist)
7. Needs Assessment
What do librarians need to take on these new roles?
Regional needs assessment conducted summer 2009
―What are the biomedical and science librarians E-
Science web portal user needs and web 2.0
preferences in order to support the development and
strengthening of libraries’ E-Science initiatives and
collaborations?‖
8. Results: The need for education
Online tutorials for both E-science related tools and
background/content knowledge
Continuing education
Support from the library community (University of
Massachusetts, Boston Library Consortium, and
NN/LM,NER)
9. Local Response
Five Campus Initiative to bring health sciences and
sciences librarians together
E-science Bootcamp focused on science knowledge
One day workshops on scientific topics based on
existing research at the campuses (stem cell;
nanotechnology)
10. Regional Response
Escience Annual Symposium
NER Escience Portal Project
Create a formal collaboration among area health
sciences and sciences librarians in New England
11. Escience Web Portal Project
Regional Initiative with UMass Med in the lead
Build a one stop shopping website for librarians
Educate librarians about science (tutorials)
Include Current News and initiatives
Highlight Current Projects and Best Practices
Collaborative Tools (Virtual community)
Create collaborative using advisory and editorial
boards to identify, link to existing and create original
content
Engage the library community in New England
12. Next Steps: Regional Projects
IMLS grant to bring data management skills to
student researchers (UMass and WPI)
Linking the data behind the journal article or
dissertation to the written text (5 Campus project)
Development of tutorials (biochemistry for
dummies; explanation of the research process for
librarians (UMass and library school students with
science backgrounds)
Implementation of the portal
Continue offering educational offerings
13. NSF Data Management Plan
NSF requirement
Implications for libraries
Services to assist researchers in developing the plan
(one on consultation; group instruction)
Data Management Curriculum development
Changed job descriptions
14. Lessons Learned
We need to partner (with science majors, science
librarians, main campus computing centers, library
school students, etc.)
We need to develop our staff with new skills in
science (basic science knowledge and scientific
process)
We need to develop our staff with new skills in data
management and preservation
We need to bring in to our libraries new staff with
new skills– new job descriptions
15. Director Role: Foster New Professional Identity
Incorporate skills to organize, manipulate, preserve
and reuse data sets into existing staff or hire new
staff with these skills
Collaborations and partnerships—with Office of
Research, Data Management Working Group on
Campus, etc.
Multi-skilled information teams to assist in
development of data management plans
Embed librarians with scientific disciplinary
knowledge within research labs