Souvenirs from an RDM Professional Development Journey

Abstract

Purpose: Describes a professional development journey in Research Data Management (RDM) services funded by the National Library of Medicine. Setting: The National Library of Medicine encourages training in data concepts through courses and funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) Training Office and Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs). The Medical Sciences Library at Texas A&M University provides data consultations, referrals and workshops, but no formalized data services. Description: A librarian attended the first cohort of the NNLM Biomedical and Health RDM for Librarians course, the subsequent RDM 102, and a site visit with course mentors, all funded through the NNLM Training Office. Data Science Professional Development awards from the South Central RML funded attendance at the Mobilizing Computable Biomedical Knowledge (MCBK) and Transforming Research meetings. Data-related workshops were selected as an initial service to raise awareness of issues and position the Library as a partner for solutions. “Souvenirs” collected at each stop – a toolkit here, an active learning dataset there – were customized, promoted, piloted, and revised. Outcome: The workshops nurture conversation with faculty and leadership. An RDM workshop is in an ongoing series for the Health Sciences Center, graduate students did an active learning exercise at orientation, and a best practices workshop from the library is scheduled. Conference information and contacts inform planning. Conclusion: The RDM professional development journey doesn’t have to be expensive – funding is available. It doesn’t require applying “all the things”. Collect, customize and apply those that produce a quick win and resonate with constituents.