Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen Copyright (c) 2013 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen Recent documents in Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen en-us Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:42:59 PST 3600 Forging New Service Paths: Institutional Approaches to Providing Research Data Management Services http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/19 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/19 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:29:53 PST Objective: This paper describes three different institutional experiences in developing research data management programs and services, challenges/opportunities and lessons learned.

Overview: This paper is based on the Librarian Panel Discussion during the 4th Annual University of Massachusetts and New England Region e-Science Symposium. Librarians representing large public and private research universities presented an overview of service models developed at their respective organizations to bring support for data management and eScience to their communities. The approaches described include two library-based, integrated service models and one collaboratively-staffed, center-based service model.

Results: Three institutions describe their experiences in creating the organizational capacity for research data management support services. Although each institutional approach is unique, common challenges include garnering administrative support, managing the integration of services with new or existing staff structures, and continuing to meet researchers needs as they evolve.

Conclusions: There is no one way to provide research data management services, but any staff position, committee, or formalized center reflects an overarching organizational commitment to data management support.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Data Collection Library Services Supporting Virtual Communities Through Disciplinary Repository Development http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/18 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/18 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:24:02 PST Purpose – This article aims to discuss the implementation of social networking tools onto existing disciplinary repository platforms – both commercial and open source – with the purpose of building enhanced disciplinary repository-based virtual communities.

Design/methodology/approach – This article is a case study. The University of Massachusetts Amherst has served as a test-bed for two disciplinary repository-based virtual communities, InterNano and ESENCe, both of which serve as examples for the development of features that facilitate social connections in emerging multi-disciplinary fields. Two different approaches to the technical implementation of social networking tools onto standard disciplinary repository software platforms are described, as well as the challenges faced by each project.

Findings – Although disciplinary repositories are not typically conceived as social spaces, disciplinary repositories can integrate social networking components to act as “knowledge brokers” for emerging disciplines of practice. The challenges of developing disciplinary repositories as virtual communities include software limitations, community integration and trust building, and identification and acquisition of relevant content in emerging and dynamic fields.

Originality/value – InterNano and ESENCe represent the growing long-tail of disciplinary repositories, about which little literature exists. This case study demonstrates the activities and challenges of developing small-scale multi-disciplinary disciplinary repositories into active virtual communities.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Library Services Information Dissemination Disciplinary Repositories Subject Repository Rankings Overview http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/17 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/17 Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:14:15 PDT Data about subject repository size, governance, age, coverage, etc., was collected in late fall 2009 and early winter 2010 for research on subject repositories.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Research Disciplinary Repositories Tiers of Research Data Support Services http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/16 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/16 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:07:30 PST Objective: To describe three tiers of research data support services that emerged from national environmental scanning of data management needs and activities.

Setting: The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a top fifty recipient of NSF funding, with the agency providing over 40% of the University’s sponsored research, and is classified as a Research University with Very High research activity by the Carnegie Foundation.

After determining a need for data management services, a library Data Working Group performed national environmental scanning. Environmental scanning used public information available from 18 UMass Amherst peer and model institutions to determine the range of data management and curation services that are available to various research communities.

Methods: Environmental scanning activities include a web audit.

Results: National practices demonstrate a wide range of potential data management services. UMass Amherst’s Data Working Group has generalized data management services into three tiers, creating a useful rubric for determining one’s current service level and for setting goals

to meet the needs of one’s research community.

Conclusions: The Tiers of Research Data Support Services, generalized from local needs and national activities, describe different levels of support of increasing cost and involvement scales for supporting researchers’ data management and curation needs: education, consultation,

and infrastructure.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Library Services Libraries and e-Science Research Developing Meaningful Data Services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries [poster] http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/15 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/15 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:20:39 PST Environmental scanning exercises enable an institution to develop a clear understanding of complex issues before making high-impact process decisions or commitments. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the path to embracing the current data management trend includes several complementary, exploratory exercises designed to help the Libraries not only understand the nuances of the local research environment but also to evaluate practices at peer institutions that may serve as a model for engaging and supporting faculty. By crafting a vision that prioritizes the needs of the campus community while learning from external solutions, the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries are able to articulate meaningful data services for faculty and graduate students.

While Data Curation Profiles are immensely helpful and do figure into these exploratory efforts, the Libraries’ Data Working Group has taken a three-pronged approach to gathering information from the community. Environmental scanning activities include faculty interviews, focus groups, and web audits. The resulting information, which includes input from graduate students as well as faculty and approaches from peer institutions as well as local practice, provide a broader perspective of data management issues. The findings from these activities are the foundation on which services for faculty and graduate students are being developed with respect to their various data management needs, concerns, cross-institutional collaborations, and infrastructure support scenarios.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst claims 82 centers and institutes that are conducting research on some level, bringing in over $140 million in externally sponsored research each year, including 10 federally-funded research centers that “reflect national priorities and provide opportunities for breakthrough research, educational innovation, and technology transfer.” This research environment has earned the campus classification as a Research University with Very High research activity (RU/VH) by the Carnegie Foundation. (http://www.umass.edu/umhome/research.php). As a key partner in teaching, learning, and research, the University of Massachusetts Libraries is committed to extending services to include data management support.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Data Collection Library Services Building Virtual Communities Around Subject Repositories http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/14 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/14 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:10:42 PST The University of Massachusetts Amherst has served as a testbed for virtual communities in

subject repositories through its development of InterNano1 and ESENCe (Ethics in Science and

Engineering National Clearinghouse) beta2, two National Science Foundation (NSF) funded

subject repositories that serve science and engineering disciplines.

Both projects serve as virtual communities for emerging disciplines of practice (where an

established online presence has been absent), by integrating social networking components

with existing repository platforms, enhancing the standard model of a subject repository or

subject-based digital library.

InterNano and ESENCe take two different technological approaches to building virtual

communities due to project timelines, budgets, and staffing resources. ESENCe takes a lowinvestment,

hosted approach, while InterNano takes a highly customized, integrated systems

approach. For ESENCe, the repository is the primary platform onto which social components

were integrated; InterNano incorporates the repository into a larger, content management

platform as one of many domain resources.

The challenges of building virtual communities around subject repositories include software

limitations, particularly for commercial platforms; the generation of community awareness, trust,

and participation in subject repository-based virtual communities for emerging disciplines; and

the “moving target” problem of identifying valued content in highly dynamic fields.

This talk will present the two different technical implementations of virtual communities on

subject repositories as demonstrated by ESENCe and InterNano, and the challenges of each.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Library Services Research Disciplinary Repositories Generalizing the Subject Repository http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/13 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/13 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:55:56 PST Subject repositories serve a similar function within their disciplines, but they often evolve in radically different ways from inside their respective fields. When the largest subject repositories such as PubMed Central, CiteSeerX, arXiv, RePEc, SSRN, and AgEcon Search are examined, there are more differences than similarities in terms of sustainability models, software, users, and management. These repositories have developed in relative isolation, all catering to specific disciplinary cultures.

While the success of these repositories should be celebrated, there is a great need to develop general best practices and standards for the building and management of subject repositories. According to OpenDOAR, there are over a hundred discipline-based repositories, many of which have a specifically focused scope. Two such repositories are InterNano (Information Clearinghouse for Nanomanufacturing) and ESENCe Beta (Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse), which are National Science Foundation-funded projects hosted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst that serve science and engineering disciplines.

When building InterNano and ESENCe Beta, the presenters noted a near complete lack of general literature on the management and development of subject repositories. This project briefing will explain how InterNano and ESENCe Beta were developed through focus groups, user surveys, workshops, and other forms of outreach to related research communities. The briefing will also address the challenges involved in developing standards for repositories that serve diverse disciplines, such as catering to specific user groups and managing different types of site content. The primary desired outcome of the briefing is to begin a discussion on standards for subject repositories.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Research Disciplinary Repositories Interactive Taxonomy for Content Exploration and Discovery [poster] http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/12 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/12 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:44:37 PST Interactive taxonomic functionality enables visitors to explore relationships between concepts and access content within the nanomanufacturing domain. InterNano is an information portal and subject repository for nanomanufacturing hosted by the National Nanomanufacturing Network at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which combines a dynamic open source content management system (Joomla!) for managing original content with the reliable EPrints repository software system for managing archived publications, educational material, and workshop presentations. Because nanomanufacturing is a small, interdisciplinary subdomain of nanotechnology, an important component of the project is a specialized taxonomy for domain definition and information discovery. The InterNano Taxonomy is a unique, custom-built terminology to describe the nanomanufacturing enterprise—from areas of application to nanomanufacturing processes—with three levels of granularity. The Taxonomy is fully integrated into the InterNano system, linking all tagged content both in Joomla! and in EPrints. By browsing the taxonomy either through a hierarchical list or through a tag cloud, visitors can review and access all of the tagged content within the InterNano portal and repository. InterNano has expanded its taxonomic functionality to enable a more interactive user experience. Spring graphs display Taxonomy terms with respect to their relationship to other taxonomy terms via content tagging and reflect terms’ relative usage statistics. The spring graphs are generated with open source libraries for Python: matplotlib and NetworkX. This capability allows users to explore the different concepts within the nanomanufacturing domain as well as review and access tagged content throughout the integrated InterNano system.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Information Dissemination Building a Central Repository for Nanomanufacturing http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/11 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/11 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:26:15 PDT The InterNano Nanomanufacturing Repository (INR) is a central repository of nanomanufacturing research and trade information for the nanomanufacturing community. It is administered by the National Nanomanufacturing Network (NNN) and funded by the National Science Foundation through the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The INR is unique even as a central repository because it crosses not only institutional boundaries but also sector boundaries by including reports, research, teaching aids, and grey literature relevant to nanomanufacturing from academic, government, and industrial entities. In addition, because nanomanufacturing is itself inherently interdisciplinary, the repository crosses domain boundaries by including work that ranges from chemistry and physics to sociology and ethics. The INR is still early in development. Reflecting the two essential approaches for nanomanufacturing itself, the NNN is employing both top-down and bottom-up activities to build this national repository. Now in the "bottom-up" stage, the INR uses EPrints as its most fundamental building block and has incorporated a novel taxonomy and collections structure to support nanomanufacturing information. The NNN has customized the EPrints interface to reflect the InterNano Nanomanufacturing Clearinghouse, which the INR is designed to support. In addition, the NNN is manually migrating and soliciting content from its affiliates to build collections. Looking ahead to the "top down" activities, the NNN will be implementing an OAI harvester and initiating a SWORD pilot project to facilitate the deposition of relevant content from the vast body of nanotechnology literature. This presentation will describe the INR project with attention to its unique content, taxonomy, and customizations to the EPrints standard interface.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen Disciplinary Repositories Trends in Large-Scale Subject Repositories http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/10 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/10 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:14:51 PDT Noting a lack of broad empirical studies on subject repositories, the authors investigate subject repository trends that reveal common practices despite their apparent isolated development. Data collected on year founded, subjects, software, content types, deposit policy, copyright policy, host, funding, and governance are analyzed for the top ten most-populated subject repositories. Among them, several trends exist such as a multi- and interdisciplinary scope, strong representation in the sciences and social sciences, use of open source repository software for newer repositories, acceptance of pre- and post-prints, moderated deposits, submitter responsibility for copyright, university library or departmental hosting, and discouraged withdrawal of materials. In addition, there is a loose correlation between repository size and age. Recognizing the diversity of all subject repositories, the authors recommend that tools for assessment and evaluation be developed to guide subject repository management to best serve their respective communities.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Research Information Systems Disciplinary Repositories Representation and Recognition of Subject Repositories http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/9 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/9 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:12:51 PDT Subject repositories are under-studied and under-represented in library science literature and in the scholarly communication and digital library fields. A study of practical literature on subject repositories reveals a relatively small proportion of practical articles to total articles found that discuss subject repositories in some way — where practical refers to articles that would help inform decisions on repository development and management. In addition to the lack of practical literature on subject repositories, registries, software, publishers, and database thesauri do not define subject repositories consistently, do not recognize subject repositories as distinct from other types of repositories, or do not recognize subject repositories at all. At the same time, subject repositories are frequently cited as highly successful scholarly communication initiatives, especially in relation to institutional repositories. The lack of subject repository recognition within the literature and among commonly used repository tools may be attributed to the isolated development of the largest subject repositories and a general lack of awareness about small-scale subject repositories. The authors recommend an increase of literature and research on subject repositories, development of standard language, guidelines, and best practices, and the formation of a community of subject repository professionals.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Research Information Systems Disciplinary Repositories e-Science @ UMass: Anticipating and Supporting e-Science Activities at the University of Massachusetts [poster] http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/8 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/8 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:31:57 PDT In March of 2008 an Ad Hoccommittee of Science Librarians from the University of Massachusetts Five Campus System convened to discuss the challenges of e-science and prepare the Libraries for their role in e-science initiatives. Three primary outcomes intended to support e-science activities emerged from the work of the Ad Hoc committee.

]]> Maxine G. Schmidt et al. Libraries and e-Science Open Educational Resources http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/7 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/7 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:31:50 PDT Rebecca Reznik-Zellen e-Science @ the University of Massachusetts http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/6 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/6 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:31:41 PDT e-Science @ the University of Massachusetts Abstract: What is e-Science and how can libraries and librarians support it? The University of Massachusetts takes a proactive approach to support network-enabled research on its campuses and provides examples where e-Science is already at work. Statement: “e-Science” is a term commonly used to describe research in a networked environment, a growing trend not only in the sciences, but the arts and humanities as well. e-Science creates both opportunities and challenges for academic libraries. The opportunities lie in leveraging the basic skill set that libraries and librarians already possess: the knowledge of and practical experience with metadata standards, the ability to curate, preserve and provide access to information, the long-standing relationships and collaborations with researchers, and the service model based on providing access to and assistance with aggregated resources (research databases, journals, archives). The challenges lie in reorienting those basic skills so that libraries can be involved earlier in the research cycle, accommodate new tools and resources, and support a dynamic research environment. Description: At the University of Massachusetts, an effort is underway to anticipate and support e-science initiatives across the five-campus system. An ad hoc Committee of Science Librarians was convened in March of 2008 to discuss the challenges of e-Science, particularly for the Life Sciences. From that initial meeting, the Committee has begun taking steps to prepare the Libraries for e-Science in the following ways: by establishing our own set of Principles Fundamental to the Role of the University of Massachusetts Research Libraries in e-Science, modeled on the principles presented by the ARL Joint Task Force of Library Support for e-Science in its Report, “Agenda for Developing e-Science in Research Libraries” (Joint Task Force on Library Support for E-Science, Association Research Libraries, 2007); by planning and organizing an e-Science Symposium to be held in the spring of 2009 to open a dialog between research faculty and librarians and to identify and establish fruitful collaborations; and by identifying current efforts on our campuses that already embody Jankowski’s conception of e-science. Outcome: Existing University of Massachusetts projects demonstrate the changing role of libraries and librarians, among them the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center, a collaboration between the Worcester and Lowell campuses, and InterNano, an information portal for the nanomanufacturing community created through collaboration between the NSF Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing and the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. With these examples and with the ongoing efforts of the ad hoc Committee of Science Librarians, the University of Massachusetts information science community is actively working together with communities of information producers/consumers for a common purpose, the advancement of science.

]]> Maxine G. Schmidt et al. Libraries and e-Science Nanoinformatics 2010: Community-wide Collaboration for the Collection, Curation, Analysis, and Dissemination of Nanotechnology Data [poster] http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/5 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/5 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:31:33 PDT Objective: To describe the emerging disciplinary community of Nanoinformatics, of which the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a part, and Nanoinformatics 2010, a collaborative roadmapping workshop organized by this community to coordinate the existing but diverse efforts to collect, curate, analyze, and disseminate nanotechnology data.

Participants: InterNano1 and the National Nanomanufacturing Network2—funded by the National Science Foundation Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing3 and administered by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries4—were the primary organizing entities for Nanoinformatics 2010.

Description: Nanoinformatics is the science and practice of determining which information is relevant to the nanoscale science and engineering community, and then developing and implementing effective mechanisms for collecting, validating, storing, sharing, analyzing, modeling, and applying that information. Existing nanoinformatics initiatives have developed independently and in ad hoc manner within specific communities of practice, such as nanomanufacturing. While coordination and crossfertilization among projects would mitigate redundancy and enhance complementarity, there has been no overarching plan to coordinate these diverse efforts to date. Nanoinformatics 2010 began the process of coordinating activities to standardize practice and encourage data sharing across the community.

Results: Nanoinformatics 2010 was an important part of the process of articulating the comprehensive needs and goals for nanoinformatics, as included in the Nanoinformatics 2020 Roadmap. The Roadmap outlines major themes, describes cross-cutting issues, and projects several pilot activities in nanoinformatics. As a primary contributor to this Roadmap, InterNano demonstrates how the expertise and experience of libraries are making a positive impact on emerging communities of practice for Grand Challenge science.

1 http://www.internano.org
2 http://www.internano.org/content/view/66/227/
3 http://chm.pse.umass.edu/
4 http://www.library.umass.edu/

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Research Data in Libraries http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/4 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/4 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:31:23 PDT Researchers must now prepare plans for data management and curation for grant proposals. Librarians are ideally suited to provide support in this area. What skills and knowledge do we need for success in these efforts and to demonstrate our value to our parent institutions?

Presented at the New England Technical Services Librarians 2011 Spring Conference, on April 8, 2011, in Worcester, Mass.

]]> Rebecca C. Reznik-Zellen et al. Data Collection Library Services Libraries and e-Science Get on your boots: A Model for Low-cost, Regional Professional Development for Science Librarians at the University of Massachusetts http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/3 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/3 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:31:14 PDT The University of Massachusetts Five Campus System Science Librarians organized a low-cost, regional professional development program as part of a response to state-wide life science initiatives. Science Boot Camp for Librarians was envisioned as a casual but intensive immersion event into selected scientific subjects that employ networked computing capabilities for research and collaboration. The goal of the event was to provide librarians with subject awareness and networking opportunities to enable them to better engage faculty and research scientists with regard to e-science. This article focuses on the planning and execution of the event as an example of a successful, grass-roots professional development program for librarians engaged with the health and physical sciences.

]]> Maxine Schmidt et al. Building as We Climb: The Data Working Group at the University of Massachusetts Amherst [poster] http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/2 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/2 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:31:02 PDT Objective: To describe the activities of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries’ Data Working Group around the data management and curation needs of the campus community. These efforts include outreach to the campus regarding the recent NSF requirement for Data Management Plans.1

Participants: The Libraries’ Data Working Group is composed of seven members with expertise in project management, systems and web development, scholarly communication, archives and metadata, and science and social science librarianship. The Data Working Group is one of three subgroups of the Digital Strategies Group at the University Libraries.

Description: The University of Massachusetts Amherst claims 82 centers and institutes that are conducting research on some level, bringing in over $140 million in externally sponsored research each year, including 10 federally-funded research centers that “reflect national priorities and provide opportunities for breakthrough research, educational innovation, and technology transfer.” This research environment has earned the campus classification as a Research University with Very High research activity (RU/VH) by the Carnegie Foundation. (http://www.umass.edu/umhome/research.php). As a key partner in teaching, learning, and research, the University of Massachusetts Libraries have begun extending services to include data management support. Specifically, the Libraries established the Data Working Group in early 2010 to explore the issues and on-campus needs around data management and to articulate the role that the Libraries will play in this arena.

Results: The Libraries’ Data Working Group is actively engaged in several parallel activities—such as faculty interviews, focus groups, and a web audit—to build meaningful services for faculty and graduate students with respect to their various data management needs, concerns, and infrastructure support scenarios. In addition, the Data Working Group has assisted the Libraries in communicating this commitment to data management support via a letter outlining services in support of the NSF mandate in December 2010.

1 See for example: http://www.library.umass.edu/services/services-for-faculty/data-management/

]]> Jessica Adamick et al. Data Collection Research Information Dissemination Using Open Educational Resources in the Classroom http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/1 http://works.bepress.com/rebecca_reznik-zellen/1 Thu, 19 May 2011 12:30:52 PDT W.E.B. Du Bois Library, Room 2601 What are Open Educational Resources and what is their value? Learn more about the Open Education movement and hear from instructors who have already made teaching resources freely available online. Jeff Kappen, Ph.D. Candidate in Organization Studies, Isenberg School of Management, will speak about about using Flatworld in the classroom, and Michael Lavine, Professor of Statistics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, will discuss the Open Access book he authored. Light refreshments served.

]]> Jeff Kappen et al.