Book Review: Delivering Research Data Management Services: Fundamentals of Good Practice

Abstract

Delivering Research Management Services: Fundamentals of Good Practice. Edited by Graham Pryor, Sarah Jones, and Angus Whyte. London: Facet, 2014. 242 p. $99.95 softcover (ISBN 978-1-85604-933-7). Delivering Research Management Services proposes to build awareness of the need for a research data management (RDM) service infrastructure and explain how to set up such a service (including technological and human resources as well as securing institutional support). It accomplishes this through five chapters authored individually by the three editors, all currently or formerly affiliated with the United Kingdom's (UK) Digital Curation Centre (DCC). It discusses three case studies from institutions that have successfully launched RDM services in the United States, UK, and Australia; and two case studies from national programs in the UK. book provides in-depth information about high-level considerations for RDM services; it does not provide instruction in best practices for managing data. An earlier publication by the same lead editor, Managing Research Data, may prove more useful for those seeking best practices information. (1) Since this book demonstrates the value in planning ahead through advocacy and capacity-building before tackling the preservation and provision of access to research data, it may be a good first read. authors have extensive knowledge of and experience on this subject, yet write clearly enough for novices to comprehend. readers need to have a high tolerance for acronyms, since every agency, service, and tool seems to have one. Each chapter provides enough context to stand on its own, but this reviewer would have preferred that the book had been more tightly edited to facilitate cohesion across chapters. For instance, the authors recommend that Case Study 5 (chapter 10) be read in conjunction with chapter 5, begging the question of why Case Study 5 was not positioned as Case Study 1 (chapter 6). Such sequencing would have naturally achieved the authors' suggestion. book lacks a concluding chapter summing up the best practices, but it is left to readers to draw their own conclusions based on their institutional settings. Indeed, institutions in the UK seem to have an advantage in terms of governmental funding and shared infrastructure. In contrast, US institutions must either step up advocacy and coordination efforts at a national level or find smaller-scale solutions to the challenge of research data management. Examples of US universities' current and emerging practices relating to RDM services can be found in the Association of Research Libraries' SPEC Kit 334: Research Management Services. (2) We can learn much from our UK counterparts and their advancements. Many of the institutions cited in this book developed RDM services incrementally, starting with pilot projects and repurposing existing resources while advocating for the allocation of additional resources. Several authors advised including the costs and risks of doing nothing in that advocacy. In chapter 5, The Range and Components of RDM Infrastructure and Services, Sarah Jones describes DUDs, or Data centers Under Desks, created by research groups attempting to do their own data management at low cost. She notes, However, while the upfront costs may be only a fraction of those quoted by central services, the risk of data loss and security breaches are significantly higher, potentially leading to far greater costs in the long run (98). …