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The Research Information Network: what is it and what does it do?

The Research Information Network: what is it and what does it do?. Stéphane Goldstein USTLG Summer meeting University of Liverpool, 22 June 2006. Fundamental premise…. "It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information" Oscar Wilde. RIN sponsors.

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The Research Information Network: what is it and what does it do?

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  1. The Research Information Network: what is it and what does it do? Stéphane Goldstein USTLG Summer meeting University of Liverpool, 22 June 2006

  2. Fundamental premise… "It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information" Oscar Wilde

  3. RIN sponsors • The four UK Higher Education Funding Councils • England (HEFCE), Scotland (SHEFC), Wales (HEFCW), Northern Ireland (DELNI) • The eight Research Councils • Arts and Humanities (AHRC) • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences (BBSRC) • Central Laboratory (CCLRC) • Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPSRC) • Economic and Social (ESRC) • Medical (MRC) • Natural Environment (NERC) • Particle Physics and Astronomy (PPARC) • The three National Libraries • British Library (BL) • National Library of Scotland (NLS) • National Library of Wales (NLW)

  4. RIN structure • Funders’ Group • Advisory Board • Consultative Groups • Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences • Life Sciences and Medicine • Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology • Library and Information Sciences • Executive team • Michael Jubb (Director) • Stéphane Goldstein (Planning & Project Officer) • Jackie Van Bueren (PA to Director)

  5. RIN interlocutors • In addition to our 15 sponsors… • Libraries and representative organisations (CURL, SCONUL…) • JISC • MLA • Research funders • Data centres • UUK • Publishers • Government Departments • International (OCLC/RLG, JSTOR, European Union…) • And others…

  6. RIN mission • “To lead and co-ordinate new developments in the collaborative provision of research information for the benefit of researchers in the UK” • all disciplines and subjects • all kinds of information sources used by and produced by researchers (digital and non-digital) • the research base both in the HE sector and beyond

  7. What do we mean by research information? • Information produced by researchers • Journal articles • Monographs • Reports • Datasets • Other outputs (software, performances, tools…) • Information used or needed by researchers • Publications produced by other researchers (articles etc) • Data and other outputs produced by other researchers • Publications, reports and data produced by a wide range of individuals and organisations • Manuscripts, artefacts, sounds, images

  8. RIN strategic aims: I • To develop, with the active involvement of key stakeholders, a strategic framework for enhancing the UK research information infrastructure • To ensure that the research community contributes to and collaborates in a programme of action tailored to its needs • To act as an advocate for research information provision at the highest levels of policy-making in the UK, and to represent the interests of UK researchers in relevant international forums

  9. RIN strategic aims: II • To co-ordinate action to improve the arrangements for researchers to find information sources relevant to their work, and how they may gain access to them • To lead the development of a programme to sustain and enhance management and development of the aggregate UK collection of published hard copy research resources • To co-ordinate action to ensure that the outputs researchers produce and need are retained and made available for use in the most effective way

  10. RIN activities: search and discovery • Consultancy study of researchers’ behaviour and perceptions in the use of resource discovery services and tools • Preparation of a map of current services • Telephone interviews with 450 researchers • To be completed by mid-July • Discovery services for library and archive holdings • COPAC, SUNCAT, ZETOC, Archives Hub and similar services • Workshop for key stakeholders • JISC Review • What are the priorities now in retroconversion?

  11. RIN activities: access • Report on the RSLP Access Funding Scheme • Further work on the impact of recent developments and initiatives, and how researchers are making use of them • Forthcoming study on extending the coverage of online catalogues • Support for SCONUL Research Extra • Linkages with Inspire and UK Libraries Plus • Relationships with M25 • Looking to develop a relationship with USTLG • Expert group on walk-in access for members of the public to academic journals

  12. RIN activities: researchers and libraries • If UK is to sustain its position as the leading research nation outside the US, it needs a world-class research information infrastructure. What role do libraries play in this? • Researchers’ interest less in the collections of individual libraries, more in the information resources to which they can provide access • Need for better understanding of • how researchers are using libraries, and want them to develop • how effective libraries are in providing services for researchers and in meeting their information needs • RIN study about to be commissioned

  13. RIN activities: scholarly communications I • Work with key stakeholders from funding agencies, Government, libraries and publishers; developing a collaborative, shared agenda • Impact of new technologies on all the key stages/functions in the scholarly communications process • doing research and producing research outputs • identifying and protecting intellectual property rights • quality assurance and the peer review of research outputs • presenting, publishing and disseminating outputs in both digital and printed forms • providing access to quality-assured and authentic published outputs • assessing usage and impact • preserving and providing access to published outputs in both digital and printed forms, for the indefinite future • Changing roles of the key players, and resulting tensions between them

  14. RIN activities: scholarly communications II • RIN study into the policy and practice of UK research funders – nearly completed • Looking at how a selection of funders manage the information outputs of their funded research • Issues covered include institutional repositories and data management • Workshop planned for the autumn • Ongoing analysis of available data on scholarly journal publishing – to be completed in September • Including data on journal demand-side and supply-side economics, usage and alternative dissemination models • Study jointly commissioned with RCUK and DTI

  15. RIN activities: digital content I • Increasing need to manage and provide access to digital data, as well as formal publications • Little consistency in policy and practice across major research funders and institutions • Need to recognise different requirements that arise in handling different kinds of data from different sources • Increasing international interest • OECD, US National Science Board, Australian DEST • Increasing need for guidelines and protocols

  16. RIN activities: digital content II • Work with JISC, BL and others on “a co-ordinated framework of principles and best practice for the provision of online e-content” • Work with JISC, CCLRC, E-Science programme on framework of principles for the handling of data and access to it • First draft of principles has been the subject of limited consultation • Workshop planned in the autumn to ‘test’ the principles notably with data centre managers, but also orgs such as DISC-UK • Further work needed to establish how such principles might be disseminated

  17. RIN activities: collaborative collection management and storage • Sustaining and building on what has been achieved through CoFoR and other initiatives • Evaluation of CoFoR and scope for extension • Development of the “National Research Reserve” proposal set out in the CURL/BL study on Optimising Storage and Access • Focus on low-use material • Permanent preservation • Efficient, cost-effective and sustainable access • Encourage disposals, to release space, and to avoid need for investment in additional storage

  18. E-Infrastructure • OST-led E-infrastructure Steering Group • Aim to produce a roadmap for developing the infrastructure for the support of UK researchers over the next ten years • Context is the 2007 Spending Review • Six sub-groups, one on search and navigation, led by RIN

  19. Challenge for the future • To make the case for investment and co-ordination in developing a distributed information infrastructure that provides essential services for researchers

  20. Find out more about the RIN at www.rin.ac.uk

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