Which role can research libraries in a European e-science infrastructure? E-science and digital preservation are crucial parts of the 2009-2012 strategy of the European Research LIbraries. They offer great opportunities for research libraries for getting involved in the research and education environment from the very start of data creation. Digital Preservation should not be done for its own sake but as a way to valorise knowledge (use and re-use). We have to break the walls between all stakeholders in digital preservation (libraries, datacentres, researchers, publishers). Research institutes need librarians with a good understanding of modern research, with an ability to bring the library’s services into the researcher’s environment and integrate data sharing and curation in the researcher’s workflow. We need researchers with good understanding of information and curation matters.

1. Research libraries in a European e-science
infrastructure
Wouter Schallier
Executive Director LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries)
e-mail: wouter.schallier@kb.nl

2. Contents
 About LIBER
 Strategic areas 2009-2012
 Digital Preservation
 New strategies for libraries
 Conclusions

3. “Making the case for European research libraries”
 The largest network of European research/academic
libraries: 420 institutions, from over 40 countries
 Mission: to represent and promote the interests of
European research/academic libraries, and of their users:
students and researchers

4. What we do
 Formulate a European strategy for research libraries
 Offer a forum for knowledge sharing and dissemination
 Conferences, workshops, documentation, LIBER Quarterly
 Foster partnerships
 EU projects
 Advocate and lobby with the EU
 Infosoc, Market, Research

5. Strategic areas 2009-2012
 Scholarly Communications
 Digitisation and Resource Discovery
 Heritage Collections and Preservation
 Organisation and Human Resources
 Services

6. Scholarly Communication 1
 Open Access
 SPARCEurope
 Awareness raising
 Tools for the implementation of OA:
– Digital repositories
– OA publishing
 No OA without Digital Preservation

7. Digital repositories
 Trustworthy and with a long term preservation strategy
 With substantial content
 Embedded in the research workflow
 Interoperable: part of a consistent European e-science
infrastructure
 New content: primary research data, multimedia

9. Scholarly Communication 2
 E-science
 Large amounts of research data need to be captured, made
available and preserved
 Results of publicly funded research should be available in public
domain
 Sharing data stimulates excellence in research and should be
rewarded

10. The paradox of e-science
 “My data is mine and now your data is mine”
 Reluctancy to share data
 Lack of rewards for sharing data/collaborative efforts
 Current copyright/IPR/publication models are a hindrance for e-
science
vs.
 E-(nhancing) science
 ODE

11. Digitisation and Resource Discovery
 Digitisation
 “What is not digitally available does not exist”
 Europeana Travel: travel and tourism: over a million items from
national and university libraries made available via Europeana.eu
 General lack of funding

13. Digitisation and Resource Discovery 2
 Resource discovery:
 Europeana Libraries: makes over 5 million objects available
through Europeana
 Europeana Scholar?
 Europeana does have strategies on metadata improvement,
enriching metadata, semantic search engine, digitisation, user
generated content, …
 BUT: no digital curation strategy (responsibility of the individual
instititions)

14. Heritage Collections and Preservation
 Heritage collections
 Preservation
 Analog and digital materials
 Skilled curators
 Preservation not for its own sake but as a way to valorise
knowledge (use and re-use)

15. Digital Preservation
 Awareness raising
 Shared European vision/framework and tools for its
implementation
 Blue Ribbon Task Force: sustainable DP and access
 LIFE: costs of DP
 APARSEN: NoE of DP
 APA

16. Digital Preservation 2
 Ubiquitous, trusted and easy access to research data
 Integrity of data
 Version management
 Visualisation
 Semantics
 Provenance and ownership of data
 Selection
 Use and re-use
 IPR, licensing
 Technology and sustainable infrastructure
 Data managers
 “Data repositories may become the new special collections for research
libraries” (Borgman)

17. Organisation and human resources
 Break walls between libraries, datacentres and
researchers: information and its curation matters to all of
us (we are all information and curation amateurs) :
 We need librarians with a good understanding of modern research,
with an ability to bring the library’s services into the researcher’s
environment and integrate data sharing and curation in the
researcher’s workflow.
 We need researchers with good understanding of information and
curation matters.

18. New strategies for libraries
 Into the research and education workflows/environment:
 Major shift: libraries used to come only at the end of the R&E
workflow!
 Recruitment of content
 Digital curation starts with data creation
 Requires new skills: communication, training …

19. LIBER wants APA
 A forum for discussion with other stakeholders
(researchers, publishers, data managers, funding) in digital
preservation
 Communication and awareness raising
 Shared European vision/framework
 Tools for its implementation
 E-science infrastructure: identify new roles and
responsibilities, new business models

20. APA wants LIBER
 A huge network of research libraries:
 Linked through a common strategy where e-science and DP are
crucial
 Some of them with a lot…others with less expertise in e-
science/digital preservation
 Keen to take up their roles in a European e-science infrastructure
(and many are actually already doing so)

21. LIBER events
 40th LIBER Annual Conference, 29 June-2 July 2011 –
Barcelona: “Getting Europe ready for 2020: the library’s
role in research, education and society”
http://bibliotecnica.upc.edu/LIBER2011/
 Digital Preservation workshop 2011

22. Thank you!
Wouter.schallier@kb.nl
Skype: wouter.schallier