Megan Bresnahan and Andrew Johnson University of Colorado Poster title: DataDay: Participant-driven training for library research data services Research Data Access & Preservation Summit 2013 Baltimore, MD April 4, 2013 #rdap13

1. Assessment results indicate that participants found the structure and content of the
workshop valuable to work involving research data. The learning outcomes of the
DataDay workshop resulted in several benefits within the organization. Immediately
following the workshop and in the 3-month follow-up, participants reported many
positive outcomes compared to the pre-assessment, including increased knowledge,
confidence, skills, and awareness around research data issues and resources.
We believe that involving potential trainees in the design process of the workshop helped
meet the training needs of the organization while increasing participants’ engagement in
and receptivity to training.
Survey results revealed that participants were:
• 35% more likely to report that they understand the basic stages of the research
data lifecycle immediately after participating in the DataDay Workshop
• 31% more likely to report understanding the stages of the research data lifecycle 3
months after the workshop than before the training
• 35% more likely to report feeling confident in their ability to assist researchers with
their data immediately after the workshop
• 30% more likely to report feeling confident in their ability to assist researchers with
their data 3 months after the workshop than prior to the training
Participants reported a number of learning outcomes from the workshop in the 3-
month follow-up survey. When asked to list the most important thing that they
learned in the workshop, participants listed the following most frequently:
Understanding models for creating services with an awareness of what others in
the region are already doing (40%)
Identifying researcher needs in departments with which they liaise (25%)
Developing practical strategies for offering research data support to researchers in
the immediate future (25%)
DataDay: Participant-driven training for library research data services
Megan Bresnahan
Science & Engineering Librarian
Andrew Johnson
Research Data & Metadata Librarian
Introduction
Workshop Design
Outcomes & Conclusions
Participant Input in Training Design
Overall indicator of training need for survey topics
Preferred training formats (# of responses)
Exercise 1: -Identify researcher needs in each stage
of data lifecycle
-Brainstorm library roles based on these
needs
Exercise 2: -Examine actual data sets
-Come up with advice for researcher that
produced data
-Identify resources for these researchers
-Compare/contrast this experience with
a “traditional” reference question
Exercise 3: -Develop an outreach tool for marketing
data services to faculty
Exercise 4: -Apply workshop content to a five-
minute paper on a novel situation
(request for help with a data
management plan)
Preliminary Workshop Assessment Results
POST-PRE-
What do you imagine your role will be in supporting
researchers with their data?
Future Directions
Contact Information
Many libraries interested in offering research data services must train current personnel
to engage in new roles and to extend existing services to research data. Even libraries
with dedicated positions and/or technical infrastructure for research data management
and curation may find greater success if others within the organization understand these
new efforts and can incorporate relevant aspects into their duties.
At the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder), local demand for training around
research data issues emerged from a broader assessment of training needs for subject
librarians. This assessment involved potential trainees in the identification of areas of
training need as well as in the design of training opportunities. The results of the
assessment led to the development of a hands-on workshop on research data services.
In the summer of 2012, we distributed a survey to all subject librarians at CU-Boulder.
This instrument was designed to assess the training needs of subject librarians related to a
number of emerging and established roles for librarians in areas like scholarly
communication and research data. Specifically, questions attempted to identify levels of
anxiety and knowledge, as well as perceived professional relevance, associated with each
topic.
The results of this needs assessment revealed that subject librarians reported high levels
of anxiety and lack of knowledge associated with the survey topics related to research
data. Taking all factors into account (e.g., anxiety, knowledge, relevance), we created an
overall indicator of training need for each survey topic. As shown below, a comparison of
these indicators suggested that training for research data topics should be prioritized.
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
In response to the training needs assessment results, we developed an interactive workshop called DataDay that allowed
participants to explore strategies for meeting research data needs through their reference work and liaison activities with
researchers on campus. Participants examined potential library roles in research data support and applied skills associated with
familiar and existing liaison duties to research data services. The workshop incorporated hands-on exercises with panel
presentations and informal discussions, and participants also received a print handout with tips, resources, and tools.
Participants were also asked to indicate preferences for training formats. Participants
reported a strong desire for practical training around research data topics. As shown
below, participants preferred formats such as one-day workshops, panel presentations,
print handouts, and informal discussions.
Workshop Learning Goals
Participants will be able to:
Articulate basic stages of the data lifecycle
Define the library’s potential role in research
data services
Apply skills from workshop to novel data
situations
Develop customized outreach plans for
promoting new services to their departments
Feel comfortable discussing the issues
associated with new research data services
Effectively engage with researchers when
advocating for how the library can support
their research
Assessment Tools
Several assessment tools were used to evaluate
the effectiveness of the DataDay workshop:
Pre-Workshop Survey
Post-Workshop Survey
5-Minute Paper Exercise (participants were
asked to apply skills from the workshop to a
novel situation)
3-Month Follow-up Survey
Survey results for knowledge and confidence
DataDay Workshop: December 11, 2012
We plan to analyze the workshop assessment results in greater depth, including a
detailed content analysis of survey and 5-minute paper responses, in order to further
evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop and to identify areas in need of additional
training for CU-Boulder subject librarians. We will also conduct another broad training
needs assessment as part of the iterative process of helping those librarians who work
most closely with researchers develop the knowledge and skills necessary to provide
support for research data.
Megan Bresnahan
Science & Engineering Librarian
(303) 492-4679
megan.bresnahan@colorado.edu
Andrew Johnson
Research Data & Metadata Librarian
(303) 492-6102
andrew.m.johnson@colorado.edu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License