[Rdap] Leadership in developing data management plans

[Gulliford, Bradley]

Highly compressed generalization to set the stage for a question:

Science (at least the empirical, observational part) has always been about data, and thus preservation, transmission, and accessibility have been primarily in the hands of scientists.  Libraries have always (since they progressed from being treasure house archives) been about information, and sometimes data.  Scientists made use of libraries as data repositories, to various extents (and whether a journal article is "data" or edifying prose is one major variation); while the library may have been concerned with physical maintenance, how the data were used and where they went were, in the end, under the guidance of scientists.

Data repositories are increasing in size, complexity, and capability, as we have seen at our summit in Phoenix.

Now the (blunt) question:

Who can, or should, assume roles in the management of the data aspect of science beyond custodianship of the archives (including preparation of required data management plans)?  Is it inherent in the craft of every discipline-specific scientist, handed down in graduate school like writing grants and selecting which journals to publish in?  Or has "information" grown to be so large and complex an undertaking unto itself that it is best handled by professionals?

I came to Phoenix looking for a role for information professionals.  Becoming knowledgeable about the new capabilities is essential, but from there, who can advise scientists about choices in storage format, access limitations (including long-term consequences), open access/NIH/NSF issues, journal acceptance rates and impact factors, and strategic use of such information to advance an individual's career or an institution's reputation?  Will, or even should, scientists listen to librarians about such things?  Are librarians prepared, or even interested, in participating in those discussions?  If not, are they missing an opportunity?

If this is leading too far afield for this list and it should be directed elsewhere, or this discussion has taken place already somewhere else, let me know and I'll be glad to move it.  :-{)}  But this is a burning issue for some of us in the field, and I would welcome further thoughts about this.


Brad Gulliford
Information Content Specialist
University of Texas at Arlington Library
Arlington, Texas, USA
817 272-7156