Managing research data / edited by Graham Pryor

Bibliogr. en fin de contributions. Index

Data management has become an essential requirement for information professionals in the last decade, particularly for the higher education research community, as more and more digital information is created and stored. As budgets shrink and funders of research increasingly demand evidence of value for money and demonstrable benefits for society, there is increasing pressure to provide plans of sustainable management of data. Ensuring that important information remains discoverable, accessible and intelligible and is shared as part of a larger web of data will mean research has a life beyond its initial purpose and can offer real utility to the wider institution and beyond. This edited collection, bringing together leading figures in the field from the UK and around the world, provides an introduction to all the key data issues facing the HE and information management communities. Using the authors' expertise and relevant international case studies, it defines what is required to achieve a culture of effective data management offering practical advice on the skills required, legal and contractual obligations, strategies and management plans and the data management infrastructure of specialists and services. Each chapter covers a critical element of data management including: the meaning of data management; the lifecycle of data management; the policy environment; an organisational approach to achieving digital sustainability; data management plans and planning; roles and responsibilities for libraries and librarians; the challenge to university information services; an analysis of the New World approach; and resources and sources of support to data management. This is essential reading for librarians and information professionals working in the higher education sector, the research community, policy makers and university managers. It will also be a useful introduction for students taking courses in information management, archivists and national library services.

1. Why manage research data / Graham Pryor 2. The livecycle of data management / Sarah Higgins 3. Research data policies: principles, requirements and trends / Sarah Jones 4. Sustainable research data / Brian F. Lavoie 5. Data management plans and planning / Martin Donnelly 6. Roles and responsibilities: libraries, librarians and data / Sheila Corrall 7. Research data management: opportunities and challenges for HEIs / Rob Procter, Peter Halfpenny and Alex Voss 8. The national data centres / Ellen Collins 9. Contrasting national research strategies : Australia and the USA / Andrew Treloar, G. Sayeed Choudhury and William Michener 10. Emerging infrastructure and services for research data management and curation in the UK and Europe / Angus Whyte