1. Building Research Data Management Services – A Helsinki University Library Case

In 2012 Helsinki University Library began a year’s staff training to enhance library staff’s research data expertise. The objective was to learn about researchers’ research data management (RDM) practices. After the training we started to plan RDM services. Promoting good data management and sharing practices is the basis for open science. The Case Library staff training was implemented through workshops and seminars as well as learning and development assignments. By teaching each other, participants got to know national and international research data repositories, best practices and data policies in various fields. Researchers visited the workshops and provided case examples, e.g. handling of metadata and personal data in register-based studies. Data repository providers presented their services. After the staff training, we started to plan RDM training and guidance services for researchers. In the spring of 2014, we had three workshops to plan RDM training for newly- organised doctoral schools in the University of Helsinki. Currently the RDM services are developing at a good pace. In spring 2015 we have helped researchers to create RDM plans for Horizon 2020 grant applications. We have especially emphasised: Sharing and opening data and research methods Publishing open access Taking the costs of data curation into account As the RDM services are developing, we are also able to evaluate how well the library staff training has prepared us for this new task. Some aspects went just as expected, others could have been done differently. We learned that: It is not easy to jump into giving RDM services. One time training is a good starting point, but it is not enough. Further learning will take place with concrete cases. RDM services should be based on networking and cooperating with other players (e.g. the IT-department, financial advisers, lawyers, national projects). It is also important that the library’s organisation and management supports them. Conclusions Many European libraries are getting started with RDM services. Currently, we are piloting RDM services for researchers. This case report provides an example of how a library can get started with RDM and in this way strengthen open science