This document summarizes a meeting between librarians and researchers on sharing research data. It includes presentations on the changing data environment, sharing geographic data, libraries providing infrastructure for research data curation, and the Cambridge context. Attendees discussed making data available and structured online, managing risks like licensing, and the roles of different players in moving from data production to consumption.

1. libraries@cambridge
2012
Are librarians and researchers
on the same page?

2.  Changing data environment
 Ed Chamberlain (Systems Development
Librarian, CUL)
 Sharing geographic research data
 Dr Max Satchell (Department of
Geography, University of Cambridge)
 Libraries providing infrastructure
for research data
 Paul Stainthorp (eresources Librarian,
University of Lincoln)
 Cambridge context
 Dr Anna Collins (DSpace@Cambridge
Research Data and Digital Curation
Officer)
 Open Forum

3. • Public information
• Events
• Public service usage and availability
• Raw research data
• Healthcare
• Usage data
• Spending
• Environmental data • Courses
• Population / census
• Geographic information • Results
• Electoral information
• Timetables
• Material
• Organisation
• People
• Places
• Results
• Bibliographic data
• Usage data

4. Short term:
 Increased transparency (Response to
F.O.I. requests)
 Value for taxpayer /fee-payer / research
funder
 Increased prestige
 Expedite research
 Support from national and international
government
Longer term:
 External support in (I.T.) service
development
 Easier collaboration
 Decreased operating costs
 Cross sector fertilisation (rise of the data
journalist)
 Growth of a data economy?

6. Make your stuff available on the web
★
(whatever format)
★★
Make it available as structured data (e.g. Professor
excel instead of image scan of a table)
Sir Tim Berners-
★★★
Non-proprietary format (e.g. csv instead
of excel)
Lee's
Use URLs to identify things, so that
Open Linked Data
★★★★
people can point at your stuff
Standards
Link your data to other people’s data to
★★★★★
provide context
http://data.southampton.ac.uk/5star.html

7.  Management of risks
 I.P.R. / Licensing – open is best
 Skills to create, maintain and
exploit
 Infrastructure
 Importance of standards

8. Data production Data consumption
Skills trainer
Data provider Data curator
Data storage
Data production Data consumption

9.  Changing data environment
 Ed Chamberlain (Systems Development
Librarian, CUL)
 A researcher's perspective: making
GIS datasets open
 Dr Max Satchell (Department of
Geography, University of Cambridge)
 Libraries working to curate
research data in practice
 Paul Stainthorp (eresources Librarian,
University of Lincoln)
 Cambridge context
 Dr Anna Collins (DSpace@Cambridge
Research Data and Digital Curation
Officer)
 Open Forum