The document discusses evaluating a library's capacity to manage research data by assessing its intellectual assets beyond just the knowledge and skills of individual staff members. These include organizational or structural capital like databases and routines that remain with the institution, as well as relational capital like networks with researchers. The document argues that understanding these hidden strengths can help libraries identify unique factors that position them well for research data stewardship and recognize how human assets can be applied in new areas like exploiting collection expertise when curating data sets.

1. Evalua&ng
Library
Capacity
To
Manage
Research
Data
Sheila
Corrall
Chair,
Library
&
Informa4on
Science
Program
University
of
Pi<sburgh

2. The
Context
• Advances
in
networking
– Cyberscholarship/e-­‐research/
digital
humani4es
• Developments
in
research
policy
– Open
access
and
data
sharing
• Calls
for
libraries
to
step
up
to
the
data
challenge
– Conflic4ng
opinions
on
competence
for
the
role
– Perfect
fit,
or
over-­‐promoted?

3. Libraries,
Librarians,
and
Data
.
.
.
“Our
unique
exper4se
in
metadata,
digital
preserva4on,
public
service,
and
technology
transla4on
will
serve
researchers
well,
as
will
our
sturdy
common
sense
and
the
domain
exper4se
of
our
subject
librarians.”
(Salo,
2010)
BUT,
what
about
.
.
.
technology
competence?
disciplinary
know-­‐how?
Can
Libraries
Cope
with
e-­‐Science?

4. Assessing
Library
Capacity
for
Data
Our
people
are
our
greatest
assets,
but
.
.
.
we
need
to
look
beyond
knowledge
and
skills
Libraries
have
other
hidden
Intellectual
Assets
.
.
.
embedded
in
our
dis4nc4ve
ways
of
working
ü Organiza1onal
or
Structural
capital
ü Rela1onal
or
Network
capital

5. What
Are
Intellectual
Assets?
• Sources
of
probable
future
compe11ve
advantage,
that
lack
physical
substance,
but
can
be
retained
and
“traded”
by
an
organiza4on
or
service
ins4tu4on
• Intellectual
assets
include:
– human
resources
and
capabili4es
– organiza4onal
or
structural
competencies
(databases,
technology,
rou4nes,
and
culture)
– rela1onal
capital:
customer
and
supplier
networks
Intellectual
Assets
and
Value
Crea0on
(OECD,
2006)

6. Why
Bother
With
Intellectual
Assets?
Human
Assets
Service
Structural
Assets
Rela1onal
Assets
Assets
• Understanding
your
structural
and
rela4onal
assets
helps
you
to
realize
the
value
of
your
human
capital
– and
how
they
can
be
used
to
create
service
assets
Reveal
Your
Hidden
Strengths!

7. How
Can
Intellectual
Assets
Support
Research
Data
Management?
• Knowledge
of
these
hidden
intangible
resources
–
which
are
o^en
taken
for
granted
–
will
enable
you
to:
– recognize
unique
and
dis4nc4ve
assets
that
make
libraries
stronger
service
organiza1ons
– iden4fy
factors
that
are
helping
or
hindering
your
efforts
in
the
research
data
arena
– establish
an
ins1tu1onal
leadership
posi1on
in
the
stewardship
of
research
data

8. Where
Can
We
Find
Our
Profession’s
Intellectual
Assets
(IAs)?
Three
categories
of
IAs
or
Intellectual
Capital:
o
o
o
Knowledge,
skills,
and
know-­‐how
that
staff
“take
with
them
when
they
leave
at
night”
à
Human
Capital
Capabili4es
that
stay
with
the
firm
“a^er
the
staff
leaves
at
night”
à
Organiza1onal
or
Structural
Capital
External
rela4ons
with
customers,
suppliers,
and
R&D
partners
à
Rela1onal
Capital

9. ?
?
?
?
?
Which
Human
Assets
Can
Libraries
Exploit
In
Research
Data
Management?
o
o
o
o
o
experience
in
collec4on
building
skills
in
reference
interviewing
exper4se
in
literature
searching
knowledge
of
faculty
research
interests
track
record
in
service
innova4on

10. Which
Human
Assets
Can
Libraries
Use
In
Research
Data
Management?
Repurposing
of
library
human
assets
− applica4on/transfer
of
professional
knowledge
and
skills
to
emergent
areas
of
prac4ce
• using
reference
interview
skills
in
data
interviews
• using
exper4se
in
collec4ons
to
appraise,
select,
curate
and
manage
research
data
sets
• using
literature
search
know-­‐how
in
new
ways
.
.
.

11. “the
subject
librarian…
searched
published
literature
and
other
resources
to
select
the
most
appropriate
metadata
schema.”
Purdue
University
Libraries
(Bracke,
2011)
Exploi&ng
Library
Know-­‐How
“The
informa4onists
are
researching
which
metadata
schema
will
work
best
for
this
project.”
U
Rochester
Medical
Center
(Hasman
et
al.,
2013)

12. ?
?
?
?
?
Which
Structural
Assets
Can
Libraries
Exploit
In
Research
Data
Management?
o
o
o
o
o
subject
liaison
librarian
system
func4onal
specialists
and
coordina4ng
roles
ins4tu4on-­‐wide
working
groups
web-­‐based
tools
ins4tu4onal
repositories

13. Which
Structural
Assets
Can
Libraries
Use
In
Research
Data
Management?
Development
of
library
structural
assets
– extending
and
growing
systems
and
remits
• adding
data
liaison
to
liaison
librarian
role
• using
LibGuide
system
to
produce
DataGuides
• crea4ng
RDM
coordina4ng
groups
and
posi1ons
• using
ins4tu4onal
repositories
as
launchpad
for
data
repositories

15. ?
?
?
?
?
Which
Rela&onal
Assets
Can
Libraries
Exploit
In
Research
Data
Management?
o
personal
contacts
o
service
reputa4on
o
o
o
informa4on
literacy
teaching
collabora4ons
digital
service
partnerships
communi4es
of
prac4ce/interest
in
the
profession

16. Which
Rela&onal
Assets
Can
Libraries
Use
In
Research
Data
Management?
Exploi4ng
library
rela4onal
assets
– taking
advantage
of
reputa4on
and
goodwill
• using
personal
contacts
to
recruit
researchers
to
trial
pilot
data
services
• building
on
collabora4ons
to
partner
tech
services
on
providing
data
infrastructures
• using
professional
networks
to
access
exper4se
and
community
data
resources
(e.g.,
DMP
Tool)

18. Intellectual
Assets
Suppor&ng
RDM
Transferable
skills
Teamwork
tradi4on
Professional
knowledge
Mul4disciplinary
exper4se
Ins4tu4onal
understanding
The
Big
Picture
Collec4on
&
Service
Assets
Data
management
plans
Data
cita4on
metrics
Task
Forces
Data
repositories
Rou4ne
prac4ces
Personal
contact
Data
cura4on
Community
toolkits
Service
reputa4on
Data
literacy
Professional
networks
Subject
liaison
system
Func4onal
coordinators
Ins4tu4onal
repositories
Librarian-­‐faculty
partnerships
Library-­‐technology
collabora4ons

19. It’s
Not
All
Good
News
.
.
.
Some
libraries
have
Intellectual
Liabili&es
• Knowledge
and
skills
gaps
and
shortages,
e.g.,
research
know-­‐how
• Dysfunc1onal
structures,
defec4ve
infrastructure,
e.g.,
specialist
silos
• Poor
networking
and
rela1onship
management,
e.g.,
limited
academic
engagement
Do
You
Have
Work
To
Do?

20. Individual
and
Collec4ve
Professional
Know-­‐How
Any
Ques&ons?
Sheila
Corrall
scorrall@pi<.edu
Pushing
the
Boundaries
Networks
of
Collabora4on
Organic
Structures
Working
Rela1onships