Developing metadata management training: Experiences and future plans

CLOSER is the interdisciplinary partnership of leading social and biomedical longitudinal population studies (LPS), the UK Data Service and The British Library. Our mission is to increase the visibility, use and impact of longitudinal population studies, data and research. One of our areas of focus is training and capacity building for researchers and those running LPS, with a particular focus on filling gaps in current provision.

We currently offer a free, online educational resource introducing the basics of LPS, data and research. The CLOSER Learning Hub contains learning modules, including ‘Understanding metadata’, animations, research case studies and teaching datasets, and is used by several thousand users every month. This is complemented by a programme of training events including research methods, data analysis, and metadata management.

There is a plethora of excellent resources for students and researchers related to Research Data Management (RDM), but the availability of metadata management training aimed at early career professionals or for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is limited.

In this presentation we will discuss our experiences and user feedback from the in-person metadata management training events which have been delivered, and how this is shaping our future training offer. We will outline our approach, progress to date, and potential opportunities. We are open to exploring collaborations with others who have experience or a similar vision in delivering metadata management training.