INTRODUCTION Sharing digital research data is increasingly common, propelled by funding requirements, journal publishers, local campus policies, or community-driven expectations of more collaborative and interdisciplinary research environments. However, it is not well understood how researchers are addressing these expectations and whether they are transitioning from individualized practices to more thoughtful and potentially public approaches to data sharing that will enable reuse of their data. METHODS The University of Minnesota Libraries conducted a local opt-in study of data management plans (DMPs) included in funded National Science Foundation (NSF) grant proposals from January 2011 through June 2014. In order to understand the current data management and sharing practices of campus researchers, we solicited, coded, and analyzed 182 DMPs, accounting for 41% of the total number of plans available. RESULTS DMPs from seven colleges and academic units were included. The College of Science of Engineering accounted for 70% of the plans in our review. While 96% of DMPs mentioned data sharing, we found a variety of approaches for how PIs shared their data, where data was shared, the intended audiences for sharing, and practices for ensuring long-term reuse. CONCLUSION DMPs are useful tools to investigate researchers' current plans and philosophies for how research outputs might be shared. Plans and strategies for data sharing are inconsistent across this sample, and researchers need to better understand what kind of sharing constitutes public access. More intervention is needed to ensure that researchers implement the sharing provisions in their plans to the fullest extent possible. These findings will help academic libraries develop practical, targeted data services for researchers that aim to increase the impact of institutional research.
EDITOR'S SUMMARYPrompted by federal mandates regarding data management planning, researchers sought to understand the needs and expectations of faculty at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities for managing their data. An initial survey revealed weak identification with the word data. Researchers then customized surveys for four colleges, using terminology that would resonate best for each. Survey results showed a distinction between those who identify the primary output of their work as data vs. research materials. Among those in the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, 91% responded they generate data, along with 65% of health center researchers, 68% of College of Science and Engineering respondents and 54% of those from the College of Liberal Arts. Those whose focus was data wanted support with long term data preservation and preparing for sharing materials. Respondents who stated they produce research materials rather than data indicated different needs, though help with long term preservation and better access to resources to support data management were common themes.
Academic libraries develop collections and services for scholars who use video games in teaching and research. However, there are no assessments of related information and technology needs. The authors conducted 30 semistructured interviews to gather data about these needs and understand how the University of Minnesota Libraries can facilitate access to games and technology. A total of 28 interviewees used games in research, and 23 used games in teaching. We identified a variety of information and technology needs; many showed strong disciplinary trends. The findings can inform needs-based multidisciplinary strategies to develop video game services and collections relevant to unique academic communities. IntroductionRecent studies show that video games are ingrained in American culture and, increasingly, higher education. A 2015 Pew Research Center survey found that 49 percent of American adults and 67 percent of adults ages 18-29 play video games.1 The New Media Consortium reported that games and gamification have several applications in higher education, as educational technology and components of blended learning.2 A search for "video games" in major article indices finds game technology used in diverse research areas.College and research libraries share a vision of exceptional services to motivate and facilitate cutting-edge research and student learning 3 and have proactively supported scholars using and experimenting with video games. Librarians frequently collaborate with faculty and students to create game collections and interactive spaces for research, teaching, game development, and play. Despite this, there are currently no multidisciplinary assessments that provide an overview of the information and technology needs required by scholars working with video games. Some disciplinary-specific
The Breakerspace at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a vibrant library makerspace open to all majors and skill levels and located right in the heart of campus. The design of the space and all of our decisions have been animated by the goal to empower and inspire students through access to creative materials, equipment, and programming. When our buildings closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Breakerspace closed as well. In this article, we discuss how we adapted our work in the makerspace to a socially distanced and remote environment, with an extra emphasis on virtual community.
The study identified patterns of space and furniture use to inform planning and vision for the busiest library on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Library staff manually gathered headcount and user behavior data in Walter Library during the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semesters. Data was gathered three times a day, three days per week, during three weeks throughout the semester. The data included counts of people by furniture type and was augmented with time and location data. These data were combined with total seat counts by furniture type, room, and floor and compared across time and space. The instrument was updated and refined to improve data collection. Library users' furniture preferences changed drastically from room to room. We found that spaces with furniture and atmosphere designed for collaborative work were very popular, as were spaces designed for quiet, individual study. Furniture supportive of individual study were underutilized in rooms and areas more conducive to group or parallel study and vice versa. We want flexible spaces and a nimble decision-making process but have limitations due to the constraints of our historic building. The study has encouraged creative, user-centered thinking. The methodology is lightweight enough to repeat the study each semester and at the same time produces actionable information that have informed major decisions and a vision for our library space as a whole. The datasets we generated answered big picture questions about library use and informed individual decisions about the placement and use of pieces of furniture. Most importantly, the study has challenged many of our assumptions about how people use the library's spaces.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.