Data as a new research publication type: What could be the role of research libraries as service providers?
Creators: name: Kuusniemi, Mari Elisa
name: Nykyri, Susanna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Session 9: Trusted partners in research data support

description: It would be beneficial for the research and researcher that the data would be recognised as a concrete research output, which also meritates its contributors. Research libraries could take an important role in the process in which a data set will be curated and polished to a data publication. Research libraries already provide support for research data management especially in the form of guides and training. If data support in research organisations is focused solely in supporting data management, it leaves the possibilities and benefits of FAIR data and also the quality assurance of the research process halfway. In this paper we analyse what is already commonly included in current research library service models, what is not, and what could be the extended role of the research libraries in data publishing. We see the library as a relevant, potential instance in taking and carrying the responsibility of the entirety, but in broad and well-formulated co-operation with other stakeholders. As background we illustrate research data as academic publication type, which includes also the needed curation and peer-review process. <strong>Data publishing service requires enhancing the skills of library staff </strong> The new kind of research data publishing service challenges e.g. current skills, service and business models. It also concretises the needed broad multiprofessional co-operation. Libraries are already competent in knowledge management and ensuring the long-term accessibility to information and developing open access models for publishing. However, enhancing skills in the area of data quality, documentation and metadata is needed to cover the most important aspects of research data curation, which challenges traditional librarianship. <strong>We have already data publishing services</strong> The data publishing channels play a critical role in enabling FAIR principles. Many libraries provide a data repository or provide recommendations to use certain data repositories maintained by third parties (commercial or governmental). We consider the minimum level of supporting data publishing achieved, if a repository provides persistent identifiers and sufficient metadata for data discovery. Further needed, more advanced services are provided, when data is curated or peer reviewed during the submission process. Several libraries develop curation processes e.g. when they create criterias to select data sets for long-term preservation. However, how often do we see this as data publishing? Do we see these services as data publishing services? It is also quite rare that a library is a publisher of a data journal. <strong>Conclusions </strong> As a result we suggest concrete aims and possible service models for the research libraries as data publishers. The benefits and weaknesses of different solutions are illustrated, comparing institutional repository, long-term preservation and archiving data, as well as establishing data journals. Different kinds of solutions are mirrored also comparing the organisational vs. international (e.g. within EOSC) possibilities.