2. Presentation Overview
Mind the Skills Gap
RIN Working Group
Areas of activity
RDF and Seven Pillars
promoting good practice
data management skills
role of PhD supervisors
regional networks
Dissemination
conferences, workshops
website, downloads
3. Mind the Skills Gap
Study undertaken
during 2007-2008
Mixed methodology
literature, email survey,
interviews, case studies,
workshop, focus groups
Multiple outputs
report, briefing,
executive summary,
case studies, focus
groups, literature review
www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/
4. Findings and Follow Up
Research information
skills have not kept
pace with rapid change
Training uncoordinated
not based on systematic
assessment of needs
Workshop for key
training providers
Expert workshop with
Vitae and RCUK (2009)
led to Working Group
5. A New Advocacy Group
Working Group on Information Handling
Terms of reference
• act as a focal point for discussion of the development
of information-handling training for researchers in HE
• raise profile of such training in context of professional
development for researchers at all career stages
• advocate for greater coordination and a more strategic
approach to the provision of training across the UK
• become a collective interlocutor for research funders
and other agencies with an interest in such training
• initiate and disseminate work to develop evidence
base and advance policy and strategy at national level
• prepare joint responses to consultation exercises
6. A Coalition of Partners
Stakeholder organisations in the Working Group
BAILER JISC
British Library JORUM
CILIP Information RIN
Literacy Group RLUK
Digital Curation SCONUL WG on IL
Centre
UKCGE
HE Academy
UUK
Information Literacy
Website Vitae
7. RDF and Seven Pillars
Researcher Development Framework (RDF)
New staged framework
supports personal, professional
and career development of
researcher (novice to expert)
Working group provided
coordinated expert input
extending and strengthening
information literacy content
Seven pillars to form basis
for RDF ‘information lens’
plans for guidance booklet on
info lit elements of framework
www.vitae.ac.uk
8. Promoting Good Practice
Collecting examples of training courses and
learning resources for the Vitae database
see www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/34837/
Database-of-practice.htm
Working with relevant stakeholders towards
greater coordination and a strategic approach
e.g. Information Literacy Website, JORUM, projects
Exploring ways of encouraging more deposits
to facilitate resource-sharing and re-use
Investigating means of improving facilities for
effective search and retrieval of resources
e.g. creating or adapting a taxonomy and thesaurus
10. Showcasing
good
practice
Contributing in
to the Vitae academic
database libraries
11. Data Management and
Information Literacy
Data Management Skills Support Initiative
Summary of aims and objectives
facilitate use of the Seven Pillars Model and RDF to
plan data management skills development and training
test effectiveness of tools in mapping and describing
DM skills and skills development paths for PG courses
analyse and synthesise training needs and approaches
assess tools in relation to career stages and discipline-
specific needs identified via the JISC RDMTrain projects
assist RDMTrain projects in describing their training
materials and depositing them in relevant repositories
produce guidance and recommendations for educators,
professional bodies, SCONUL, Vitae, JISC and others
12. Can the Seven Pillars be Used to
Define Data Management Skills?
Methods of investigation Funding, people and
and project outputs timetable
hands-on support for co-funded by RIN,
mapping JISC RDMTrain JISC and DCC
materials to 7P and RDF project managed by
on-site interviews with Joy Davidson (DCC)
RDMTrain project staff with 2 RAs
case studies showing use work scheduled from
of 7P and RDF to plan PG November 2010 to
data handling skills courses August 2011
career profiles showing mapping of DM
skills used by researchers training to 7P/RDF
Overseen by advisory board from Feb to May
13. Research Supervisors
and Information Literacy
Are PhD supervisors a ‘lost generation’?
Summary of objectives
investigate current practices of PhD supervisors in
supporting the development of information literacy,
including their relationship with other players
e.g. graduate schools and university libraries
analyse variations across institutions and disciplines
evaluate the abilities of PhD supervisors to impart
relevant skills and provide appropriate advice
identify where improvement would be beneficial
produce recommendations on developing best practice
and support mechanisms as a basis for an action plan
14. What is the Role of Supervisors in
Developing Information Literacy?
Methods of investigation People, timetable
and sources of data and deliverables
desktop research on commissioned by RIN
existing evidence in December 2010
strategic interviews with contract awarded to
stakeholder organisations Curtis+Cartwright
PhD supervisor survey and Cardiff University
via online questionnaire work scheduled for
research student survey January-June 2011
via online questionnaire surveys in March
cases in April
institutional case studies
via interviews/focus groups draft report in May
final report in June
Overseen by an expert panel
20. Information Handling
Training for Researchers
Towards a More Cohesive Environment
For further details, downloads and updates on
our activities, please visit
www.rin.ac.uk/info-handling-training
For any questions or comments arising from
the presentation, please email
s.m.corrall@sheffield.ac.uk
Thank you for listening!