California Digital Library
CLIR/DLF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Data Curation for the Sciences and Social Sciences
NOTE: All postdoctoral fellowship positions are contingent upon funding. Applications are accepted via CLIR's online application system. Review of applications is already underway, but applications will be accepted until all positions are filled.
Project Title
Incorporating Data Publication into the California Digital Library's Life Cycle Approach to Data Management
Position Description
The fellow's work will focus on data publication, including but not limited to (a) its potential value as a scholarly endeavor that contributes to data sharing, reuse and preservation, and (b) how data publication may fit into libraries' current service offerings. In this capacity, the fellow will:
- Conduct an analysis of existing data publication initiatives to inform our effort;
- Investigate the role of University of California (UC) libraries in the data publication space;
- Understand and explore the potential for applying altmetrics to a UC data publication service;
- Investigate what peer review means in a data publication environment;
- Consider the policies needed to enable data publishing (e.g., copyright, intellectual property);
- Construct a conceptual end-to-end workflow for data publication for the UC and beyond.
We expect the fellow chosen to shape this position into something that both interests them and benefits the library/museum community at large, therefore the duties and responsibilities described in this summary are open to interpretation and revision.
In her or his role as a data curation fellow, the chosen person will be positioned to shape the face of data publication for the UC and beyond. The fellow will be expected to interact with UC stakeholder community members (librarians, faculty, researchers) who are most likely to benefit from data publication policies and services; these include researchers affiliated with museums (http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/cultural/museums.html), organized research centers such as the Long Term Ecological Research sites (e.g., the Santa Barbara Coastal LTER and the Moorea Coral Reef LTER), the UC Natural Reserve System (http://nrs.ucop.edu/index.htm) and various field stations and extension centers.
Role
The fellow’s work will focus on data publication and how this may fit into libraries’ current service offerings.
Desired skills and expertise
- PhD in Information Science OR a data-rich science (e.g., natural sciences, social sciences)
- Familiarity with the academic research process
- Understanding of common metrics associated with academic research
- Interest and passion for concepts like open science, open data, and data sharing
- Independent thinker capable of self‐motivation
- Willing to work in a team setting
Duties and responsibilities
- Join and participate in the California Digital Library (CDL) community. This entails working primarily at the CDL office, attending various meetings, and interacting with multiple groups at CDL (including but not limited to the UC3 group and the Access and Publishing group).
- Work with UC campus libraries to determine potential partnerships in exploring data publication as a service.
- Work with UC museums, LTERs, organized research centers, field stations, and extension centers to understand the needs of researchers who might use data publication services.
- Provide a clear and comprehensive summary of the data publication landscape across multiple disciplines, including the humanities, natural and social sciences, and other relevant groups.
- Provide a summary of the barriers to and challenges for data publication, as well as the potential incentives for researchers to publish data, and how the CDL and UC libraries can leverage these incentives to promote data sharing and publication.
- Collect and collate various data governance policies that may pertain to data publication, and provide a concise summary of how those policies may affect future service offerings of data publication. This will include all relevant stakeholder policies, including institutions, funders, and publishers.
- Explore altmetrics and its potential for application to data publication at the UC.
- Explore other relevant questions such as the relationship between a data publication and more traditional publications that draw from the same data set. How best to link them? How best to provide a window into the body of work emerging from a findable and citable dataset?
- Assist the UC libraries in using CDL services that support eResearch in their local environment.
- Conduct research on the needs of the UC community for data publication services using focus groups, surveys, or other means.
- Collate research results to assist in creating a plan of action for data publication in the UC.
- Publish results of research and/or summaries in peer‐reviewed open‐access publications.
Local guidance and professional development
The fellow will be mentored primarily by Carly Strasser, data curation specialist at CDL. Strasser has academic experience in the natural sciences and was a postdoctoral researcher for three years prior to joining CDL. She is uniquely qualified to help the fellow with their exploration of data publication since she has familiarity with both the information science field via CDL and the research science field via her prior activities. CDL will provide opportunities for the fellow to meet with UC campus library leadership (including university librarians, system-‐wide operations and planning advisory groups, and other relevant groups) to learn about their eResearch plans and services. CDL will also encourage the fellow to attend a SLASIAC (System‐wide Library and Scholarly Information Advisory Committee) meeting where eResearch/data curation is a topic on the agenda to hear viewpoints from a wide range of faculty and administrators representing sponsored research, information technology, the University Press, and others.
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