Charting a course towards coordinated research data services

Due to the growth of funder and journal policies, researchers across all disciplines are increasingly required to manage data in accordance with requirements related to data management planning and data deposit. Canadian academic institutions that are eligible to administer federal research funding were also required to create an institutional research data management strategy this past year (as described in the Tri-Agency RDM policy). As a result, academic institutions need to develop strategic, coordinated approaches to providing research data services, in order to avoid siloed and inefficient duplication of services across campus and potential gaps in programming and support. This presentation will compare and contrast the efforts of two Canadian university libraries who are participating in the Ithaka S+R initiative “Building Campus Strategies for Coordinated Data Support,” a cohort-based project with 29 universities across Canada and the US. Based on analyses of research data services currently offered and the experiences of researchers in navigating and accessing existing services, the presenters will explore various topics, including the types of services currently offered at these two institutions, the roles various service providers play (e.g., library, research office, IT), and the areas identified as opportunities for future investment. Other topics will include potential mechanisms of coordinating and collaborating to develop and offer effective research data services and the various opportunities for leveraging regional or national services and infrastructure. Given the relevance of research data services and research data management for institutions broadly, the questions and issues discussed will be of interest to IASSIST attendees regardless of geographic location.