Research Data Management and Libraries:Opportunities, Challenges, & Best Practices

This paper addresses how working on research data management and data sharing gives libraries an unparalleled entrée into the research scholar’s network. I believe libraries must grasp this opportunity to collaborate with faculty researchers because we are in the business of making research products accessible and shareable. In many countries of the PRDLA membership, government mandates on data management and data sharing, especially for sponsored research, makes it urgent that libraries gear up to provide a way to help researchers manage their data efficiently. This paper will address the opportunities, the challenges and ways we can engage in best practices among librarians and archivists in this dynamically changing field.