The Open Data Imperative: The Role of Academic Libraries and Archives in Research Data Management Support

In October 2013, my colleagues and I from the Research Data Management Guidance Team presented on the topic of the role of academic libraries and archives in research data management support at the Michigan Library Association’s (MLA) Annual Conference in Lansing. My part of the presentation was to explain what research data is and the various issues faced by researchers in regards to managing their research data. This presentation was over 50 slides so I’ve provided just the slides for my portion of the presentation, along with my notes in order to provide context for the slides. I began the presentation by providing basic definitions, such as what exactly is meant by “research data management” as well as some of the issues related to research data management such as federal grant agency mandates and common issues faced by researchers. The rest of the presentation focused on best practices and guidelines for research data management, such as appropriate file naming conventions and file formats, and finally what activities have taken place at MSU in response to these issues.