The presentation features E-science competencies that are needed to manage and preserve data in medical and research settings. Elaine Martin, DA, Director of UMass Medical Center's Lamar Soutter Library, shows how librarians can take the lead in shaping new roles in libraries.

1. E L A I N E R . M A R T I N , D A
D I R E C T O R O F L I B R A R Y S E R V I C E S
U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A S S A C H U S E T T S M E D I C A L
S C H O O L , W O R C E S T E R
J U N E 2 0 1 1
E-Science: New Roles for
Libraries

2. Characteristics of EScience
 Data Preservation
 Data Curation
 Data Management
 Large Scale Data Sets
 Large Scale Computing
 Team Science

3. Implications for Librarians
 Big changes!
 Increased involvement with the research community
 Setting standards for data curation and data
preservation
 Interlibrary collaborations
 Intercampus collaborations
 Regional collaborations

4. The Escience Space for Medical Librarians
 Pre-Clinical ( Helping researchers manage, organize
and preserve data generated from laboratory
experiments)
 Clinical (CTSA) (Clinical research data)

5. Case Discussion: Data Interview
 How are data in the lab or research environment
used?
 How do researchers manage, preserve and store
data?
 How easy would it be to share the data with another
researcher who needed or wanted access (e.g. data
sharing plan)?
 What are the issues for sharing data?
 Is there a role for the library? IT? Other groups on
campus?

6. New Roles for Librarians
 Use skills to integrate, manipulate, preserve, and
reuse data sets
 Improve strategies for service design, quality, and
assessment
 Collaborations and partnerships
 Embedded librarians with scientific knowledge
working as part of a research team (biocurationist,
informationist)

7. Needs Assessment
 What do librarians need to take on these new roles?
 Regional needs assessment conducted summer 2009
 ―What are the biomedical and science librarians E-
Science web portal user needs and web 2.0
preferences in order to support the development and
strengthening of libraries’ E-Science initiatives and
collaborations?‖

8. Results: The need for education
 Online tutorials for both E-science related tools and
background/content knowledge
 Continuing education
 Support from the library community (University of
Massachusetts, Boston Library Consortium, and
NN/LM,NER)

9. Local Response
 Five Campus Initiative to bring health sciences and
sciences librarians together
 E-science Bootcamp focused on science knowledge
 One day workshops on scientific topics based on
existing research at the campuses (stem cell;
nanotechnology)

10. Regional Response
 Escience Annual Symposium
 NER Escience Portal Project
 Create a formal collaboration among area health
sciences and sciences librarians in New England

11. Escience Web Portal Project
 Regional Initiative with UMass Med in the lead
 Build a one stop shopping website for librarians
 Educate librarians about science (tutorials)
 Include Current News and initiatives
 Highlight Current Projects and Best Practices
 Collaborative Tools (Virtual community)
 Create collaborative using advisory and editorial
boards to identify, link to existing and create original
content
 Engage the library community in New England

12. Next Steps: Regional Projects
 IMLS grant to bring data management skills to
student researchers (UMass and WPI)
 Linking the data behind the journal article or
dissertation to the written text (5 Campus project)
 Development of tutorials (biochemistry for
dummies; explanation of the research process for
librarians (UMass and library school students with
science backgrounds)
 Implementation of the portal
 Continue offering educational offerings

13. NSF Data Management Plan
 NSF requirement
 Implications for libraries
 Services to assist researchers in developing the plan
(one on consultation; group instruction)
 Data Management Curriculum development
 Changed job descriptions

14. Lessons Learned
 We need to partner (with science majors, science
librarians, main campus computing centers, library
school students, etc.)
 We need to develop our staff with new skills in
science (basic science knowledge and scientific
process)
 We need to develop our staff with new skills in data
management and preservation
 We need to bring in to our libraries new staff with
new skills– new job descriptions

15. Director Role: Foster New Professional Identity
 Incorporate skills to organize, manipulate, preserve
and reuse data sets into existing staff or hire new
staff with these skills
 Collaborations and partnerships—with Office of
Research, Data Management Working Group on
Campus, etc.
 Multi-skilled information teams to assist in
development of data management plans
 Embed librarians with scientific disciplinary
knowledge within research labs