To ensure compliance and to achieve greater value for the research sponsored by the University and outside funders, researchers need to take an active part in the management of the data they produce. Albertsons Library, in coordination with University units such as the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Office of Information Technology, is well-positioned to play an integral role in educating researchers and providing support on issues related to data management.

Albertsons Library established a working group in early 2014 dedicated to learning about data management issues and becoming involved in the University’s research data management activities. In order to better serve the University community in this regard, the Albertsons Library Core Data Management Team worked with librarian liaisons to interview campus researchers on their current knowledge of and practices related to data management. Responses were grouped into three major topic areas for analysis: Data Characteristics, Data Storage, and Data Discoverability and Access. Researchers reported a variety of practices, some demonstrating effective management of their researcher data, while others described significant gaps in their current practices.