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Exploring the data management and curation practices of scientists

Diatom - Dr. A.K.S.K. Prasad, FSU

Diatom – Dr. A.K.S.K. Prasad, FSU

I have experience managing digitized and born digital research data for the department of anthropology, biological science, and oceanography at Florida State University. Below are three brief use cases along with comments from scientists at FSU that have benefited from the application of data managing planning, data curation, digital curation, and digital preservation to their research data.

Department of Anthropology
One project involved an anthropologist with research data images on the Sadana Island Shipwreck in Egypt that existed offline on DVDs in the researcher’s office wanted to develop an online collection and make the collection accessible to the research and learning communities. After a series of data management consultations, the research images were made accessible through he FSU Libraries online public access catalog (OPAC) via MARC and Dublin Core metadata standards and the digital asset management system, DigiTool and institutional repository (IR). Below is the researcher’s comment to the data curation and digital curation applied to her research data images.

    “This is just a tremendous project and I’m so grateful to all the work [the digital librarian and OPAC cataloger] has put in to make the digital archive of some of the Sadana Island artifacts a reality [description, representation, dissemination, and preservation of research data]. It’s going to be a tremendous asset to people doing research, for scholarly and personal reasons, into this area, and I will be sure to pass on any comments I receive about it. I look forward to continuing this project with you and again, thank you for all your efforts to make [access to this collection] happen.” – FSU Anthropologist (Smith II, 2008, p. 174)

Department of Biological Science
Another project involved a biological scientist with electron scan microscope images of his diatoms research that existed offline on DVDs in his office who wanted his diatoms research made available online. His research was made available online in the FSU Libraries OPAC via MARC and digital content management system, DigiTool, via Dublin Core. A sample of the scientist’s peer-reviewed journals were also made available online from the FSU Libraries BePress Digital Commons IR based on publisher’s copyright permission. The biological scientist’s research data was the first FSU scientist to have a portion of his research data preserved in both the Florida Digital Archive (FDA) and MetaArchive preservation systems. FDA is a local preservation strategy and MetaArchive is a national/international distributed preservation strategy. The Diatomscapes digital collection was the first FSU scientist research to be available through FSU Libraries OPAC, digital content management system, and IR through data curation and digital curation. Data curation and digital curation of the Diatomscapes collection facilitated digital preservation in FDA and MetaArchive.

    “I am very pleased that my diatom images are now digitally archived as part of the pilot program for [Florida Digital Archive – FDA] digital preservation. I am honored to be partnering with [FSU Digital Library] and your colleagues [Florida Center for Library Automation – FCLA] on this innovative program. Kindly extend my thanks, on my behalf, to Ms. Motyka and Ms. Caplan for their contributions to the success of this important aspect of our collaboration. I hope it is just the beginning for a long and mutually beneficial partnership between scientists and digital technologists. Thank you again for this exciting news. You made my day”. – FSU Biological Scientist (Smith II, 2011)

Department of Oceanography
Yet another project involved a Department of Oceanography scientist that requested a sample of his legacy, aging, and deteriorating analog (physical) research data as technical cruise reports to be digitized and made available. Similar to the other disciplinary domains, the technical reports were made available online in the OPAC and digital content management system. Below is the scientist’s comment to data management and curation applied to his research reports.

    “I am pleased to have our reports in the FSU digital library collection. It is a worthwhile service for our group, as it is a suitable location for our technically oriented reports. While we also maintain a collection of our reports on our own website, the extra visibility of a central collection should make it easier for potential readers to find it on the web.” – FSU Oceanography Scientist (Smith II, 2010, p. 82)

The following comments from the former FSU Provost/Biological Scientist on the digitization, dissemination, sharing, and preservation of a sample of his scholarly works reflect the impact of how the application of metadata, metadata standards, best practices, guidelines, and tools can affect the scientist’s attitude, behavior, and participation with respect to research data management, including an university senior stakeholder.

    “Thank you so much for all of your work on this. It is a great service to the crustacean community to have these available. Please let me know if I can help with anything on the project.” – FSU Provost/Biological Scientist (Smith II, 2010, p. 82)

Literature review and experience working with scientists to build, develop, and extend their scholarly works beyond their disciplinary domains reveal a willingness and need for interdisciplinary collaboration to assist scientists with the data management and curation of their research data.

  1. Smith II, P. L. (Summer 2014). Exploring the Data Management and Curation (DMC) Practices of Scientists in Research Labs within a Research University. [Dissertation]
  2. Smith II, P. L. (June 23, 2014). Exploring the Data Management and Curation Practices of Scientists in Research Labs within a Research University. Florida State University School of Information, Florida’s iSchool. Tallahassee, Florida. Note: Dissertation Defense [Presentation]
  3. Smith II, P. L. (June 4, 2014). Exploring the Data Management and Curation Practices of Scientists in Research Labs within a Research University via an Adapted Data Asset Framework (DAF) Survey – Phase 1. 40th International Association of Social Science Information Services & Technology (IASSIST): Aligning Data and Research Infrastructure. Toronto, Canada. June 3-6, 2014. [Presentation]
  4. Smith II, P. L. (March 2014). Data Management & Curation Services: Exploring Stakeholders Opinions. In Fifteenth International Conference on Grey Literature – The Grey Audit: A Field Assessment in Grey Literature. Compiled by D. Farace and J. Frantzen; GreyNet International, Grey Literature Network Service. Amsterdam: TextRelease, March 2014. – 196 p. – (GL Conference Series, ISSN 1385 2316; No. 15). Note: Published in DANS Data Archive 2014-02-25 (refereed) [Data files]
  5. Smith II, P. L. (December 2013). Data management and curation services (DMC): exploring stakeholders’ opinions. Fifteenth International Conference on Grey Literature: The Grey Audit, A Field Assessment in Grey Literature. CVTISR Bratislava, Slovakia. GL15 Conference Program Book. ISBN: 987-90-77484-21-0. [Presentation]
  6. Smith, II, P. L. (September 2013). Exploring the data management and curation practices of scientists in research labs within a research university. Florida State University College of Communication & Information, School of Library and Information Studies. Tallahassee, FL. Note: Successful prospectus defense presentation
  7. Smith II, P. L. (March 2013). Exploring Stakeholders’ Data Management and Curation Services Opinions. 2013 DigCCur Ph.D. Symposium. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill, NC. [Poster]
  8. Smith II, P. L. (October 2012). Continual Improvement of Environments Accommodating Research Technocracies Heterogeneously Cube: Pre-workshop assignment – EarthCube Vision in 2025. NSF EarthCube Early Career Strategic Visioning Workshop. Carnegie Institute for Science, Washington, DC. [Presentation]
  9. 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. The Grey Journal, v. 7 (3), ISSN 1574-1796.
  10. Smith, II, P. L. (2010). Diatomscapes expose: How faculty and digital librarians collaborate to promote and preserve the passion of the research (CP3R) for digital futures. World Digital Libraries, v. 3 (1).