Evidence Summary
European Academic Libraries Offer or Plan to Offer
Research Data Services
A Review of:
Tenopir, C., Talja, S., Horstmann, W., Late,
E., Hughes, D., Pollock, D., … Allard, S. (2017).
Research data services in European academic research libraries. LIBER
Quarterly, 27(1), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.18352/lq.10180
Reviewed by:
Jennifer Kaari
Medical Librarian
Mount Sinai Health System
New York, New York, United
States of America
Email: jennifer.kaari@mountsinai.org
Received: 2 Feb. 2018 Accepted: 4 Apr. 2018
2018 Kaari.
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Abstract
Objective
– To investigate the current state of
research data services (RDS) in European academic libraries by determining the
types of RDS being currently implemented and planned by these institutions.
Design – Email survey.
Setting – European academic research libraries.
Subjects – 333 directors of the Association of European Research
Libraries (LIBER) academic member libraries.
Methods – The researchers revised a survey instrument previously
used for the DataONE survey of North American
research libraries and conducted pilot testing with European academic library
directors. The survey instrument was created using the Qualtrics
software. The revised survey was distributed by email to LIBER institutions
identified as academic libraries by the researchers and remained open for 6
weeks. Question topics included demographics, RDS currently offered, RDS
planned, staffing considerations, and the director’s opinions on RDS. Libraries
from 22 countries participated and libraries were grouped into 4 regions in
order to compare regional differences. Data analysis was
conducted using Excel, SPSS or R software University of Tennessee, University
of Tampere, and University of Göttingen.
Main Results – 119 library directors
responded to more than one question beyond basic demographics, for a response
rate of 35.7%. Among the libraries surveyed, more
libraries offer consultative services than offered technical support for RDS,
although a majority planned to offer technical services in the future.
Geographically, libraries in western Europe offer more
RDS compared with other regions. More libraries have reassigned or plan to
reassign current staff to support RDS services, rather than hire new staff for
these roles. Regardless of whether or not they currently offer RDS, library
directors surveyed strongly agree that libraries need to offer RDS to remain
relevant.
Conclusion – The authors determine that a majority of library
directors recognize that data management is increasingly important and many
libraries are responding to this by implementing RDS and collaborating across
their institutions and beyond to help meet these needs. Future research is
suggested to track how these services develop over time, how libraries respond
to the staffing challenges of RDS, and whether consultative rather than
technical services continue to be primary forms of RDS offered.
Commentary
Data management is increasingly a concern for academics and researchers,
and therefore to academic librarians. In 2016, the Association of College &
Research Libraries (ACRL) identified RDS, data policies and data management
plans, and professional development for librarians in RDS as three of the top
trends in academic libraries (ACRL, 2016). The current literature on RDS in
academic libraries focuses primarily on providing benchmarks for the current state
of RDS as well as librarians’ plans for future services. Past surveys have been
geographic, including studies of RDS in North America, the UK, and Australasia
(Tenopir et al., 2015; Cox, Kennan, Lyon, & Pinfield, 2017). This study builds on that literature by
extending this inquiry to a European context.
This study was found to have a 90% validity rating overall based on
Glynn’s critical appraisal tool for library and information research
(2006). The study is well-designed,
reflecting the authors’ previous experience studying this topic in other
geographic areas. The research methodology is thoroughly described and the
outcomes are clearly stated and discussed with respect to the data collection.
The questions on the survey instrument are well-designed to glean precise
answers that directly address the outcomes that the researchers intended to
measure. The full data set and survey instrument are available online, which is
extremely valuable both for the purposes of critically appraising the study and
for potential future replication.
A potential weakness lies in the study population, which consisted of
the 333 LIBER member institutions identified as university libraries by the
investigators. The authors do not discuss the degree to which including only LIBER
member institutions may or may not have been limiting to the study. According
to the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations
(2015), there are at least 5,974 academic libraries in Europe,. It is worth considering whether the 333
institutions offered the survey and the 119 respondents are truly
representative of the entire field, particularly in such a nationally,
culturally and linguistically varied region such as Europe.
The results of this study were in keeping with past studies in other
geographic regions, which similarly found that libraries are likely to focus on
the advisory rather than technical aspects of RDS (Cox, Kennan, Lyon, & Pinfield, 2017). RDS implementation also presents many
challenges to academic libraries, and future research is vital to determining
how RDS develops overtime and how librarians adapt to these challenges.
Ultimately, this study has the greatest value as a baseline assessment of the
current state of RDS in Europe that can be used to inform future research and
map the development of this trend. The authors suggest many future areas for
research and with this well-documented study, they
provide a vital foundation for future investigation.
References
ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee. (2016). 2016 top trends in
academic libraries: A review of the trends and issues affecting academic
libraries in higher education. College & Research Libraries News, 77(6),
274-281. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.77.6.9505
Cox, A. M., Kennan, M. A., Lyon, L., & Pinfield,
S. (2017). Developments in research data management in academic libraries:
Towards an understanding of research data service maturity. Journal
of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 68(9),
2182–2200. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23781
European Bureau of Library, Information and
Documentation Associations. (2015). [Infographic]. Academic Libraries
– Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.eblida.org/activities/kic/academic-libraries-statistics.html
Glynn, L. (2006). A critical appraisal tool for
library and information research. Library Hi Tech, 24(3),
387–399. https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830610692154
Tenopir, C., Hughes,
D., Allard, S., Frame, M., Birch, B., Baird, L., … Lundeen, A. (2015). Research data services in academic
libraries: Data intensive roles for the future? Journal of
eScience Librarianship, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.7191/jeslib.2015.1085