The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the California Digital Library (CDL) have selected five institutional teams to pilot the integration or creation of prototypes and possible workflows for machine-actionable data management and sharing plans (maDMSPs). The pilot project will run January–December 2024. This project is funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant. Additional information about the project is on our project webpage.
Machine-actionable data management and sharing plans are structured, machine-readable documents that allow for dynamic reporting on the intentions and outcomes of a research project, enabling streamlined information exchange across relevant parties and systems. These plans go beyond traditional static document-based DMSPs, and contain an inventory of key metadata about a project and its outputs (not just datasets), with a change history that stakeholders can query for information over the lifetime of the research. Implementing maDMSPs can be a key piece of establishing interconnected, automated systems for research data management and compliance.
The maDMSPs pilot institutions will help shape the development of maDMSPs and gain valuable early experience with new approaches to enable more automated and connected research data management. The institutions are:
- Arizona State University
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Pennsylvania State University
- University of California, Riverside
- University of Colorado, Boulder
An additional five institutions have been selected for the maDMSP extended cohort that will engage closely with the pilot cohort.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of research libraries in Canada and the US whose vision is to create a trusted, equitable, and inclusive research and learning ecosystem and prepare library leaders to advance this work in strategic partnership with member libraries and other organizations worldwide. ARL’s mission is to empower and advocate for research libraries and archives to shape, influence, and implement institutional, national, and international policy. ARL develops the next generation of leaders and enables strategic cooperation among partner institutions to benefit scholarship and society. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
About the California Digital Library
The CDL was founded by the University of California (UC) in 1997 to take advantage of emerging technologies that were transforming the way digital information was being published and accessed. Since then, in collaboration with the UC libraries and other partners, we assembled one of the world’s largest digital research libraries and changed the ways that faculty, students, and researchers discover and access information. In partnership with the UC libraries, the CDL has continually broken new ground by developing systems linking our users to the vast print and online collections within UC and beyond. Building on the foundations of the Melvyl Catalog, we developed one of the largest online library catalogs in the country. We saved the university millions of dollars by facilitating the co-investment and sharing of materials and services used by libraries across the UC system. We work in partnership with campuses to bring the treasures of our libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations to the world. And we continue to explore how services such as digital curation, scholarly publishing, archiving, and preservation support research throughout the information life cycle. Serving the UC libraries is a vital component of our mission. Our unique position within the university allows us to provide the infrastructure and support commonly needed by the campus libraries, freeing them to focus their resources on the needs of their users. Looking ahead, the CDL will continue to use innovative technology to connect content and communities in ways that enhance teaching, learning, and research. CDL is on the web at cdlib.org.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
