Curating Research Data

The amount of digital research data being created and stored in repositories has burgeoned over time, increasing opportunities for its scholarship, collaboration, sharing, and reuse. Along with the volume, scope, and complexity of data, these trends call for action on the part of those managing data repositories to ensure it remain accessible. In Volume 1, editor Johnston (librarian, Univ. of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Data Information Literacy) presents a collection of entries by librarians, data managers, research scientists, and others that discuss motivations, current practices, challenges, and other topics surrounding the curation of research data. These writings provide an excellent introduction to data curation while encouraging data managers and those offering research data services to consider ideas and techniques in strategic planning, current and emerging issues, and practical opportunities for policy development and execution. For example, readers will find a discussion of survey results and interview responses from academic institutions on outreach and promotion of their data repositories and curation services. This chapter also features insight on current practices, successful (and less so) outreach, lessons learned, and more. Volume 2 contains detailed, practical steps to guide readers through the development of curation services and approaches to curating research data. Such ideas include the recruitment of data (e.g., creating communication plans), risk mitigation (data deidentification), processing of data (software recommendations for curators), access considerations (terms of use and licenses), data reuse (altmetrics to measure data impact), and more. These sections are interspersed with 30 case studies from a wide variety of sources. For example, a case study on the implementation of an appraisal process by the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation and Science Center follows in supplement to a brief discussion of data appraisal. Timely, practical, and readable, this two-volume set provides beneficial information for individuals and organizations tasked with managing and curating data.