Information Handling for Researchers Towards a More

Cohesive Environment Sheila Corrall

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

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/

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

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

A Coalition of Partners

  BAILER   British Library   CILIP Information

Literacy Group   Digital Curation

Centre   HE Academy   Information Literacy

Website

  JISC   JORUM   RIN   RLUK   SCONUL WG on IL   UKCGE   UUK   Vitae

Stakeholder organisations in the Working Group

RDF and Seven Pillars

  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

Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

www.vitae.ac.uk

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

Contributing to the Vitae database

Contributing to the Vitae database

Showcasing good

practice in

academic libraries

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

Can the Seven Pillars be Used to Define Data Management Skills?

Methods of investigation and project outputs

  hands-on support for mapping JISC RDMTrain materials to 7P and RDF

  on-site interviews with RDMTrain project staff

  case studies showing use of 7P and RDF to plan PG data handling skills courses

  career profiles showing skills used by researchers

Overseen by advisory board

Funding, people and timetable

  co-funded by RIN, JISC and DCC

  project managed by Joy Davidson (DCC) with 2 RAs

  work scheduled from November 2010 to August 2011   mapping of DM

training to 7P/RDF from Feb to May

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

What is the Role of Supervisors in Developing Information Literacy?

Methods of investigation and sources of data

  desktop research on existing evidence

  strategic interviews with stakeholder organisations

  PhD supervisor survey via online questionnaire

  research student survey via online questionnaire

  institutional case studies via interviews/focus groups

Overseen by an expert panel

People, timetable and deliverables

  commissioned by RIN in December 2010

  contract awarded to Curtis+Cartwright and Cardiff University

  work scheduled for January-June 2011

  surveys in March   cases in April   draft report in May   final report in June

Launch of NEW regional network

– for people interested in information handling of researchers

Raising awareness of information literacy needs

of researchers

Dissemination

Promoting activities of the Working Group on Information Handling

Dissemination

Promoting activities of the Working Group on Information Handling

Dissemination

Dissemination

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!