Research data must be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable, or FAIR, to use the acronym. The FAIR principles have been embraced Europe-wide and underlie EUR’s Research Data Management (RDM) policy.
Handy factsheet
The LIBER RDM Working Group recently published a factsheet on the importance of RDM and how libraries can implement RDM (see the LIBER factsheet). Libraries’ role in supporting RDM strongly differs from university to university and from one European country to the next. One of the challenges all libraries now face is translating the general FAIR principles into actual activities and services. The factsheet published by the LIBER RDM Working Group outlines how libraries can go about this.
EDSC: attention for financial data skills
In the last year the RDM Working Group organised several webinars, all of which were very well attended. The most recent webinar was about the Data Librarian’s Handbook by Robin Rice and John Southall (2016). In the webinar, the authors discussed the Supporting Data Literacy chapter, which is freely available. The most remarkable aspect of the webinar was John Southall’s (Oxford University) conclusion that more attention is required for financial data skills. There is a growing demand for financial and economic data supplied by various disciplines, as well as a considerable need to ‘translate’ these data, i.e. make them reusable and interoperable. Which just happens to be one of EDSC’s core activities! We consider this a confirmation of the fact that EDSC is on the right track. It’s a nice start to the new year.
- More information
LIBER is the organisation representing European university and professional libraries. It has over 400 members. LIBER recently overhauled its website, which coincided with the publication of the organisation’s strategy for 2018-2022 and newly drawn-up plans of action for the working groups.