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Expanding the reach and richness of faculty research

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Bald Eagles

The decision for scientists to allow open access to scientific research is no longer an option but a requirement for research outputs from federally funded research projects. This creates both a challenge and a opportunity for scientists to develop data management and curation practices that not only improve the management of data but also develop plans that are compliant with the growing trends of data management planning, digital preservation, and open access requirements.

Open access is free, unrestricted access to resources. Open access resources have limited and/or permissive user access that allow public access. Public access is not the same as open access. Generally, public access refers to access granted to the public after an embargo (restricted or limited access) has expired. Open access allows use and re-use of freely available resource materials without risk or harm to the users. Today, researchers must develop data management plans and provide access to research data from federally funded research projects such as projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) [Source: NSF Data Management Plan].

I became interested and heavily involved in open access and many of the complexities involving providing access to scholarly works while managing the electronic theses and dissertations, undergraduate honors theses, and digital collections development as department head for the FSU Libraries Digital Library Center. As I begin to reach out and solicit faculty for research data for digital collection development and preservation, I was surprised at the amount of untapped faculty research data that exist offline and without any data management and curation. For example, one faculty had over 6000 images of research data in need of data curation, digital curation, and digital preservation but lacked the necessary resources in which to process the collection. In order to increase faculty contribution participation, I shared the importance and significance of relevant data management and curation models, standards, best practices, and guidelines from a research library and library and information science disciplinary domain perspective. Scientists became willing to share their research data for curation and preservation after (1) trust, (2) competence, and (3) professionalism were firmly established. The success or failure of interdisciplinary collaboration projects are contingent on organizational cultural environments and perspectives that promote authenticity, flexibility, honesty, integrity, intellectual curiosity, maturity, mutual respect, and sincerity.

Below are select sample scholarly works that highlight my attempts to expand the reach and richness of faculty research through the education, articulation, and demonstration of the benefits of managing the life-cycle of data from creation to description to representation to preservation to termination. Some of the benefits of good data management planning include (1) funding agency compliance, (2) data description and representation, (3) data access and discovery, (4) data curation and preservation, and (5) data use/reuse. I have worked with faculty from multiple disciplines on how to improve the management, storage, and preservation of digitized and born digital research data with basic metadata creation for data description and representation in the libraries’ online public access catalog, digital content management system, and OCLC WorldCat along with digital preservation through local and distributed digital preservation systems.

  1. Smith II, P. L. (August 2013). Florida A&M Open Access Initiative (FAMU-OAI). Addressing complex issues related to models of scholarly communications. 2013 Fall Faculty Planning Conference. Florida A&M University. Tallahassee, FL. [Presentation]
  2. Smith II, P. L. (May 2011). Using preservation of faculty research as a demo preservation use case for developing a digital preservation strategy within a research university. 1st USETDA National Conference. Orlando, FL. [Presentation]
  3. Smith II, P. L. (2011). Developing small worlds of e-science: using quantum mechanics, biological science, and oceanography for education and outreach strategies for engaging research communities within a university. GL12 International Conference on Grey Literature. Prague, Czech Republic. – Note: Open Grey System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe. [Preprint]
  4. Smith II, P. L. (October 2010). Using open access to expose digital assets to the research and learning communities. 1st Open Access Week at FSU Libraries. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. [Presentation]
  5. Smith II, P. L., Schwerzel, S. & Weatherholt, T. (June 2010). Developing small worlds of e-science: using quantum mechanics, biological science, and oceanography for education and outreach strategies for engaging research communities within a university. 31st Annual International Association of Scientific and Technological University Libraries (IATUL). Purdue University, Lafayette, IN. [Poster]
  6. Smith II, P. L. (September 2008) “Where IR you?: Using “open access” to extend the reach and richness of faculty research within a university”, OCLC Systems & Services, v. 24(3), pp.174 – 184. DOI: 10.1108/10650750810898219. Winner of the 2009 Emerald Literati Network Highly Commended Paper Award [Article]
  7. Smith II, P. L. (July 2007). FSU MetaArchive Content. National Digital Strategy Advisory Board Meeting Presentation as Part of MetaArchive Project Grant Extension. [Presentation]
  8. Smith II, P. L. (October 2006). ETD Access and Discovery: Enhancing Public Access and Discovery of the Research at Florida State University. ETD Regional Conference. University of Missouri – St. Louis. St. Louis, Missouri. [Presentation]
  9. Smith II, P. L. (May 2005). The Digital Library Agenda for the 21st Century Research Library: Envisioning a Strategic and Collaborative Digital Research Library. Florida State University Libraries. Tallahassee, FL. – Note: Digital Initiatives Librarian Candidate Interview Presentation [Presentation]
  10. Smith II, P. L. (September 2002). Library Support for Mobile Computing – North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. EdTech 2002. McKimmon Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. [Presentation]