A Scoping Review: Synthesizing Evidence on Data Management Instruction in Academic Libraries

A review of: Crawford, Gregory A., and Jessica Feldt. “An Analysis of the Literature on Instruction in Academic Libraries.” Reference & User Services Quarterly 46.3 (Spr. 2007): 77-87. Objective – To discover which journals publish a preponderance of the literature on instruction in academic libraries, and to further learn what topics are discussed in the literature and what methods of inquiry are used to explore those topics. Design – Comparative analysis. Setting – The ERIC database. Subjects – Journal articles published between 1971 and 2002, found in the ERIC database via the descriptor ‘library instruction.’ Methods – Journal articles published between 1971 and 2002 were searched in the ERIC database using the term ‘library instruction,’ because the term has been used by ERIC since the inception of the database. Article characteristics such as year of publication, journal in which a given article was published, and types of articles were identified. After normalizing the identification of article types by comparing individual codifications of a random sample of articles from the results list, the researchers coded all of the articles according to the articles’ main topics. These article topics were then condensed into broader topics (e.g. articles coded initially as addressing the topics of instruction to “graduate students” or “high school students” were condensed under the heading “instruction of specific populations”). Those articles deemed to have a research component were further analyzed in terms of research methodology, scope, and use of statistics. The questions guiding the authors' study consisted of: In which journals are articles on instruction in academic libraries published? What are the topics of the articles that have been published? How has the literature of instruction in academic libraries changed over the years? What is the nature of research [authors' emphasis] articles on instruction in academic libraries? For research articles, what are the research methods used and what types of statistics are utilized? (77-78). Main results – The search found 791 articles appearing in 90 journals. However, only six journals were responsible for publishing 60% of the articles on the results list. Based on the categorization into topics or types, five article types – “general essays,” articles on “instruction for searching online catalogs and databases,” “articles on course- or assignment-related instruction,” “programmatic and management issues,” and “specific institution instruction” – accounted for 54% of the total articles; eleven other topics are represented in the remaining articles. Only 24.5% of the articles could be considered “research-based.” While nine types of research methods were used, 62.3% of the research-based articles relied on surveys or questionnaires. However, taking into account what could be an expected decline in interest for studying instruction for microforms, and an increased interest in studying instruction for the Internet, the types of articles published each year between 1971 and 2002 remained generally static. Conclusion – The authors conclude that, unsurprisingly, a select few journals are responsible for publishing the majority of articles on instruction in academic libraries, and note that these journals are “closely associated with academic librarianship and instruction” (85). The authors’ findings concerning the types of articles published over the course of the date range examined, although interesting, are equally unsurprising. What is surprising and alarming, is that only a quarter of all articles published are research-based. Furthermore, those articles that were found to be research-based did not often employ sophisticated research methods, preferring for example, the use of descriptive statistics over inferential statistics. Ideally, this article will spur the development and publication of more, and more rigorous, research-based scholarship in addition to pointing authors both to the journals most likely to publish their research and to the topics that have been historically (since 1971) underrepresented in the literature.

Academic libraries have undertaken an important role in facilitating students’ acquisition of digital literacy knowledge and skills, preparing students to navigate an increasingly complex information society. One approach to this is through embedded librarianship, which focuses on placing librarians in user contexts. This article presents the results of a case study on digital literacy instruction at the Copenhagen University Library. It examines library instructors’ practice when teaching digital literacy courses, and to what degree this instruction takes the variety of students’ different disciplinary backgrounds into account. This case study is comprised of four library courses, using both observational studies of these courses and interviews with the library instructors responsible. In the article we adopt a sociocultural approach to digital literacy, seeing it as highly context-dependent, and we argue that library instructors should situate the acquisition of digital literacy knowledge and skills in students’ specific disciplinary context. We find that digital literacy instruction at Copenhagen University library is mostly situated in a general academic library context and seldom focuses on students’ actual disciplinary context. We term this approach to embedded librarianship, where students have increased access to library expertise and resources, but their disciplinary perspective is not prioritized, “practical embeddedness”. Our findings suggest that academic libraries would benefit from pursuing an alternative approach, here termed “epistemological embeddedness”, which prioritizes discipline-specific knowledge and approaches. This greater emphasis on epistemological embeddedness could ensure that students learn digital literacy approaches that can help them navigate the information-rich contexts they meet beyond their academic tenure

In this age of increasing electronic instruction in academic libraries, the University of Toledo's Carlson Library, like many other academic libraries, is trying to come of age. The library's instruction program has traditionally used a paper-based instructional format. However, with the introduction of the library's OPAC, CD-ROMs, the Internet, and OhioLINK in recent years, we are faced with a number of challenges which this paper will discuss. The main challenge is that we are trying to teach electronic resources without a mediated classroom in the library. We need to bridge the gap between the paper-based instruction program and electronic resources because our current teaching methods do not always allow for patron interaction with the technology. Increasingly, instruction is having to take place at the Information Desk, where there are time constraints and library users are unclear about the kinds of information they want or which electronic resources they need. Adapting to these new and growing resources and developing the skills needed to teach them are among the important challenges librarians at Carlson Library face.

This study examines the experiences of academic library instructors when shifting from primarily in-person to primarily online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 20-question survey was distributed to academic and medical librarian listservs. Questions asked 244 participants about various aspects of their experiences providing library instruction during the pandemic. Results indicated that most respondents experienced a successful transition to online instruction during, though many found the experience challenging. Open-ended responses revealed areas where instructors felt online instruction was more effective than in-person instruction, and areas where they felt it was not. Many instructors indicated an intention to continue to provide online instruction options into the future. Based on these survey results, a few key areas of recommendation are proposed where academic libraries can better prepare their instruction librarians for future emergent situations.

This paper supplements the panel, which was delivered in a “Lively Lunch” format and included presentations by librarians who have employed EBSCO’s Discovery System (EDS) in their academic institutions. The panelists addressed several important aspects of launching a discovery system in an academic library, such as Implementation; Information Literacy; and Assessment, Usability and Customization. The implementation component included technical aspects, business requirements, enhancing the operability of link resolvers, launch preparation, and implementation success. The information literacy portion addressed how academic reference services and library instruction have been transformed because of EDS. Assessment, Usability and Customization focused on customizing the search box and assessing EDS using statistics and usability testing. Michael Gorrell, Executive Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer of EBSCO Publishing, was present, and a Q&A time was scheduled at the end of each session for audience members to ask questions, comment, and share experiences. The implementation process of a Discovery Service involves many different aspects and is a large undertaking for any library. Depending on the size of the library, its technology infrastructure, and the number of staff involved, the implementation time can vary greatly. In addition, the planning processes and the considerations made prior to implementation are also affected by the nature and needs of end-users in these institutions. Selecting the resources to include in the discovery service, resolving technical issues, developing a strategy to publicize and market to end-users, and assessing and customizing the product are all part of a continuous course of implementing Discovery Services—a process that begins long before implementation and has no fixed completion. This process involves a collaborative and consorted effort from all areas of librarian expertise, from technical services to public services. The simplicity and comprehensiveness of discovery tools redefine how libraries deliver services across the board, changing the expectations users have of the experience of searching library resources and challenging librarians to redesign instruction and teach information literacy in new ways. These considerations and our own experience with implementing EBSCO’s Discovery System (EDS) at the University of South Florida prompted us to open up a discussion across university and college libraries in the U.S. and across librarian functions, technical, and public services, in order to share, discuss, and learn from each other the lessons of Discovery Service implementation and use. We wanted to focus on the continuous nature of this process, involving the user perspective, as well as the perspective of the vendor, EBSCO. We believe that talking with our colleagues and collaborating with publishers makes us much better positioned to anticipate the changing needs of users and enhance the experience, accessibility, and discoverability of

Guidelines for Bibliographic Instruction in Academic Libraries

Writing Objectives for Bibliographic Instruction in Academic Libraries (Book Review)

Toward Guidelines for Bibliographic Instruction in Academic Libraries

This is an annotated data management plan (DMP) template for Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) grant application data management plans.This document (available in .pdf and .docx formats) was created using the DMPonline tool, which provides templates for structuring major research funders' DMPs. The document includes the guidance text provided in the tool, produced by the Digital Curation Centre (DCC), the STFC and the University of Sheffield Library.STFC expects that data resulting from the research it funds should be made openly available after any proprietary period. Proposals for projects that would result in the production or collection of scientific data should include a data management plan as an attachment to the JeS proforma. The data management plan attachment is mandatory against most STFC schemes (not Public Engagement) and should be no longer than two pages of A4. STFC does not stipulate a specific format for data management plans and applicants may structure them in the way most appropriate to the project. If it is felt that a DMP is not relevant to a proposal then an attachment explaining this should be uploaded to pass validation. This, together with any costs associated with it, will be considered and assessed by the normal peer review process. The data management plan should explain how the data will be managed over the lifetime of the project and, where appropriate, preserved and shared for future re-use. For more information, see the STFC scientific data policy, the STFC guidance on writing a data management plan and guidance on the data management review.The DCC also provides guidance on Data management Plans and How to Develop a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

ABSTRACTDeveloping a data management plan is an important part of planning any research endeavor, and increasingly, grant institutions require these kinds of formal, written documents. Medical and academic libraries have begun reaching out and offering help to researchers developing plans for managing research data. Several tools are available to aid researchers and librarians alike in both building the skills needed to make well-informed choices when it comes to managing research data and to walk users step-by-step through the process of creating a formal data management plan. Data Research MANTRA is an online course for those who manage, or plan to manage, research data. DMPTool and DMPonline are step-by-step guides to creating data management plan documents that adhere to DMP best practices, as well as to the requirements of specific grantors and institutions. These tools can help librarians and the researchers with whom they work to both meet institutional requirements and to make informed decisions about handling research data that will help ensure its availability and usefulness in the years to come.


 A three-phase Delphi study was used to investigate an emerging community for research data management in Norway and their understanding and application of data management plans (DMPs). The findings reveal visions of what the DMP should be as well as different practice approaches, yet the stakeholders present common goals. This paper discusses the different perspectives on the DMP by applying Star and Griesemer’s theory of boundary objects (Star & Griesemer, 1989). The debate on what the DMP is and the findings presented are relevant to all research communities currently implementing DMP procedures and requirements. The current discussions about DMPs tend to be distant from the active researchers and limited to the needs of funders and institutions rather than to the usefulness for researchers. By analysing the DMP as a boundary object, plastic and adaptable yet with a robust identity (Star & Griesemer, 1989), and by translating between worlds where collaboration on data sharing can take place we expand the perspectives and include all stakeholders. An understanding of the DMP as a boundary object can shift the focus from shaping a DMP which fulfils funders’ requirements to enabling collaboration on data management and sharing across domains using standardised forms.

Researchers of all disciplines produce, share, and reuse data as part of everyday research. Most funders require them to manage and document their data using data management plans (DMPs). DMPs are often static documents that researchers create by answering questions in predefined templates at the beginning of the research and, therefore, may become outdated and obsolete as the project progresses. It is essential to keep the DMP up to date at all stages of the research lifecycle, since numerous stakeholders and various services participate in data management that depend on information from them. In this article, we propose a conceptual service architecture that uses machine-actionable data management plans to automate the exchange and synchronization of information between different semi-automated research data management services acting on behalf of different stakeholders. To solve the stated problem, we analyze typical use cases in which the DMPs change and formulate requirements based on which we developed the conceptual architecture. We depict the designed architecture through a set of views, namely physical, development, logical, and process, using Unified Modeling Language and Business Process Models and Notation representation that describe the processes required to synchronize DMP information among multiple services. We instantiate it by implementing a service that connects a data repository and a DMP tool. Thus, we evaluate to what extent the defined processes help in keeping DMP contents up to date and which criteria must be fulfilled to keep them highly automated. The result of the article feeds into a larger discussion on streamlining interconnectivity and machine-actionability across planning, tracking, and assessing research phases. It also facilitates consensus building on enhancing the Research Data Alliance’s recommendation for machine-actionable DMPs.

BackgroundOpen Science Graphs (OSGs) are scientific knowledge graphs representing different entities of the research lifecycle (e.g. projects, people, research outcomes, institutions) and the relationships among them. They present a contextualized view of current research that supports discovery, re-use, reproducibility, monitoring, transparency and omni-comprehensive assessment. A Data Management Plan (DMP) contains information concerning both the research processes and the data collected, generated and/or re-used during a project’s lifetime. Automated solutions and workflows that connect DMPs with the actual data and other contextual information (e.g., publications, fundings) are missing from the landscape. DMPs being submitted as deliverables also limit their findability. In an open and FAIR-enabling research ecosystem information linking between research processes and research outputs is essential. ARGOS tool for FAIR data management contributes to the OpenAIRE Research Graph (RG) and utilises its underlying services and trusted sources to progressively automate validation and automations of Research Data Management (RDM) practices.ResultsA comparative analysis was conducted between the data models of ARGOS and OpenAIRE Research Graph against the DMP Common Standard. Following this, we extended ARGOS with export format converters and semantic tagging, and the OpenAIRE RG with a DMP entity and semantics between existing entities and relationships. This enabled the integration of ARGOS machine actionable DMPs (ma-DMPs) to the OpenAIRE OSG, enriching and exposing DMPs as FAIR outputs.ConclusionsThis paper, to our knowledge, is the first to introduce exposing ma-DMPs in OSGs and making the link between OSGs and DMPs, introducing the latter as entities in the research lifecycle. Further, it provides insight to ARGOS DMP service interoperability practices and integrations to populate the OpenAIRE Research Graph with DMP entities and relationships and strengthen both FAIRness of outputs as well as information exchange in a standard way.

Objectives/Goals: NIH requires researchers submit Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plans with their grant applications. Librarians developed an assessment tool for the plans and completed a pilot assessment in order to leverage the plans and understand current institutional research data management and sharing. Methods/Study Population: The assessment tool includes questions related to evaluations of DMS Plans as well as questions related to the content of the plans. Evaluation questions were adapted from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology evaluation rubric developed for the DataWorks! Data Management Plan (DMP) Challenge. Fields were added to collect information on the content of DMS Plans, including data type, institutional resources, data repositories, data standards, and data dissemination timelines. The assessment tool was tested in a pilot implementation. Seven library workers were trained and completed paired review samples of 27 DMS Plans (54 evaluations total) in order to test for tool reliability. Results/Anticipated Results: Results include findings on the reliability of the tool as well as preliminary results from an assessment of DMS Plans. Findings on the reliability of the tool include assessments of the paired reviewers for each question included in the tool. Paired reviewers generally agreed, but tended to differ on specific questions, including questions pertaining to the data types generated or used in a research project. Questions with high levels of agreement included subjects of study and code sharing practices. Results on the content of the DMS Plans include information such as data repositories used, data oversight responsibilities, and data and metadata standards employed. Discussion/Significance of Impact: DMS Plans present an opportunity to better understand data management and sharing practices, and good data management supports high-quality, reproducible research. Developing and testing assessment tools for these plans is a key step toward understanding and improving current research data management practices.

The ELIXIR research infrastructure bundles not only the databases and tools of bioinformatics, but it also brings together life science data expertise. The assembled expertise can form a fantastic resource for researchers making a data management plan (DMP). Currently, this expertise is hard to discover and access. Several of the ELIXIR nodes are looking for ways to offer DMP services to their communities. The technical coordinators in these nodes are planning to build these services together with training coordinators. Current plans call for a data management planning (data stewardship planning) portal and trainings on many different data management (planning) topics. Authors on this poster are representatives from six ELIXIR nodes that are initially participating in this work, other people from these ELIXIR nodes have contributed to the plans.