International Perspectives on Research Data Management Services in Academic Libraries

The information landscape in academic libraries is undergoing a massive fundamental shift, from scarcity to abundance aided by changes in technology. One such change is the development of research data management (RDM) and their related services. Research data management services (RDMS) allow libraries to aid in “creating, finding, organizing, storing, sharing and preserving data within any research process” (Cox & Verbaan, 2018). Our research seeks to understand where RDMS is currently at on the global stage. Are international institutions currently developing RDM services? What is needed for successful implementation? And are there any considerable challenges? Through a comprehensive literature review, we propose that nine main areas related to RDMS affect implementation: skills of librarians and researchers; engagement; communication between individuals and the establishments dealing with data; incentives; technology use and infrastructure; data security; organizational support or proper structuring of services; collaboration; and resources and funding. Understanding these areas will allow academic institutions to evaluate their own programs and aid in implement of RDMS.