Assessing data management needs Kathleen University of Rochester
Finding out what researchers know they need Surveys Interviews Data Curation Profiles (or something shorter…) Identify gaps Design services Make a case to administration for support Pull together stakeholders
“Places to put things, ways to point to things, and help organizing things”
Don’t start from scratch Assess your own needs / goals first: What do you hope to do with the data you gather? What kind of data will be actionable for your purposes? Survey strengthsInterview strengths Data from a lot of researchers quickly Can produce clear, targeted statistics about data management needs (“30% of faculty said they need…”) In-depth understanding of researchers, their data and their context of work Flexible, adaptable Opportunity to start an ongoing conversation
Matching your method to your goals and needs Size / Diversity Institutional culture We have a small # of researchers Our culture is very bottom- up
Would you like to learn about sharing your data? Nope! I already do it and I’m fine! Nope! I don’t have to share my data!
Finding out what researchers don’t know they need External sources of information about data-related needs Journals and their data sharing policies Grant office and records of proposals awarded, submitted and rejected
Keep going! Identify a gap Develop a service to fill the gap Build relationships with users and non- users Use insight from relationships to identify gaps Services get people in the door; relationships keep them coming back Scoping data service needs: the longest reference interview you’ll ever do
Data management planning A service for researchers; an opportunity to continue to identify needs Tools for researchers DMPTool with customization Low tech / high impact: a handout and a conversation
DMP assistance: tools for me The Who-Does-What list People around the University who provide services / guidance related to data Data Stories DataQ
Library Faculty Dept. IT Students Grants & Contract Office of Research Campus IT HPC Campus Admin Data Services
DMP assistance: tools for me The Who-Does-What list Data Stories To help answer “why”: DataQ
DMP assistance: tools for me The Who-Does-What list Data Stories DataQ Collaborative platform and community aimed at addressing research data questions in academic libraries Not live yet, but