FAIR at the National Library of Finland – from abstract ideas to business as usual
Creators: name: Näpärä, Liisa
name: Koikkalainen, Riitta
name: Riiheläinen, Katri
name: Pääkkönen, Tuula
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Parallel Session 12 – FAIR and Open: from theory to practice
FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles
open science

description: Abstract This presentation provides insights into recent FAIR processes at the National Library of Finland (NLF). As known, these principles – findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable – were created for sharing research data. The rationale was to improve machine-actionability to diminish the need for human intervention in the functionalities of information systems. Since then, the understanding of FAIR has broadened, FAIR should be intertwined to all the services and systems in which data is operated. Following this line of thought, the strategy of the NLF for 2021–2030 emphasizes: “the data produced by the National Library will be managed in accordance with the FAIR principles and users instructed in the responsible use of data”. The overall aim in NLF is to interpret a more comprehensive picture of FAIR to support Open Science. The first step from general discussion towards implementing the principles into daily work was taken during 2021. All 16 units of NLF were interviewed (considering about 170 people) to find out how familiar each FAIR principle was, and how they were understood in each team. As somewhat expected, different understandings were found in these semi-structured group interviews. The most significant variation depended on how directly the team was involved in digital materials and data: the more straightforward the relation was, the more familiar the principles were, and the more nuanced views were outspoken – critical ones included. All in all, the high dependencies between units and dataflows within the library were mentioned as hindrances to the full promotion of the FAIR principles. Based on the analysis from the interviews and other practicalities, four pilot units were selected for the second phase to implement the principles further. They were asked to pay attention to the realization of the principles in their workflows, register any issues manifesting, and document the resolutions or proposals for resolutions. The pilot units performed as instructed and as follow-ups, they organized two workshops during 2022. The first one focused on the prospects of FAIR principles in everyday work, the recent achievements, the guidance still needed, and the direction of the guidance. In the second workshop, the teams presented reflections from cases they had been working on. These covered topics such as metadata, technical development, and users. The FAIR work at NLF has already revealed the importance of the FAIR principles for various data and systems. To make FAIR business as usual in NLF, open and intense cooperation between teams is still needed. Equally important is to be aware of how and where other resources should be allocated. The implementation of FAIR continues during 2023 to define how to use FAIR as a checklist for projects both in-house as well as other agents of the field. In this presentation, we will talk about our approach, discuss lessons learned, and make suggestions on how other libraries could approach this type of comprehensive implementation of FAIR.