Category: News

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Tri-Agency Institutional RDM Capacity Survey

Portage Training Expert Group Call for Participation in Working Group

September 10, 2019 – The Portage Training Expert Group (TEG) is establishing a working group to develop a web-based basic training module for learning about RDM institutional strategies. It is intended for audiences of the following communities of practice: researchers; librarians and data stewards; service and infrastructure providers; and policy makers and administrators. Please see the Terms of Reference for the TEG RDM Institutional Strategies 101 Working Group.

If you would like to join this working group or recommend a colleague for this group, please contact Jane Fry (JaneFry@CUNET.CARLETON.CA), Co-chair of TEG, and Jeff Moon (portagedir@carl-abrc.ca), Portage Director, with a brief expression of interest. Submission deadline is September 20, 2019.

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About CARL and Portage:

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) provides leadership on behalf of Canada’s research libraries, promotes effective and sustainable knowledge creation, dissemination, and preservation, and enhances its members’ capacity to advance research and higher education. CARL members include Canada’s 29 largest university libraries and two federal institutions. CARL has launched Portage, comprising a library-based network of expertise on Research Data Management (RDM) and national platforms for planning, preserving, and discovering research data.

Tri-Agency Institutional RDM Capacity Survey – Portage Research Intelligence Expert Group

In response to the draft of the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, the Portage Research Intelligence Expert Group (RIEG) is conducting a survey of all Canadian research institutions to determine existing services and capacity to support Research Data Management (RDM). This survey is a continuation of the information gathering on Research Data Management support in Canada by Portage.

This bilingual questionnaire surveys the current state of Canadian research institutions in developing and allocating human, organizational, infrastructure, and fiscal resources for RDM on their campus, and solicits suggestions for additional support that Portage Network and other stakeholders could provide to assist with these efforts.

This survey will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. The survey will remain open until September 30, 2019.

Survey link: https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?s=5be5d21b-2a30-4661-adaa-05e0f191bafb&lang=EN

Preview survey in PDF format: https://portagenetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Institutional-RDM-Services-Capacity-Survey_EN.pdf

Please share this survey link with the relevant stakeholder(s) in your institution, who you believe would benefit from its completion. Multiple submissions from a single institution are encouraged.

Portage is hiring!

The CARL Portage Network collaborates with stakeholders from across the research ecosystem to develop and coordinate expertise, platforms, services, and technology in support of research data management, aimed to facilitate the adoption of data stewardship best practices by  researchers and institutions.

Thanks to funding from ISED, flowing through CANARIE, CARL Portage looks forward to advancing research data management nationally, in collaboration with CANARIE and other partners, as part of the evolving digital research infrastructure ecosystem in Canada. This funding will broaden the functionality of current Portage services and tools and add capacity to national RDM support. To that end, CARL Portage will be hiring the following new positions:

• • Curation Coordinator
  • Discovery and Metadata Coordinator
  • Preservation Coordinator
  • Training Coordinator
  • Communication Officer

• These positions will be filled through either a secondment of a qualified individual from a CARL member or other Canadian academic institution, or through a direct hire.

CANARIE announces $2M in funding to CARL Portage and its partners to strengthen Research Data Management ecosystem in Canada

It is with great pleasure that CARL Portage draws your attention to the following funding announcement from CANARIE.  With this funding, CARL Portage looks forward to advancing research data management nationally, in collaboration with CANARIE and other partners, as part of the evolving digital research infrastructure ecosystem in Canada.

Call for Applications EXTENDED: Canadian Data Curation Forum – Training Event

Call for Applications EXTENDED: Canadian Data Curation Forum – Training Event

A number of spaces still remain for the Canadian Data Curation Forum Training Event, taking place in Hamilton, ON on October 16th and 17th. More information about the event may be found at the Forum website. Please use this application form to express your interest in attending the event. The extended call for applications is open until the end of the day on September 6, 2019. Successful applicants will be contacted shortly thereafter with registration information. 

A limited amount of travel funding remains for students wishing to attend the event who demonstrate financial need.  

Please feel free to forward this invitation to any individuals or groups you believe would be interested.

Questions, comments, or requests for more information can be sent to canadiandatacurationforum@gmail.com.

Portage Progress Report for the Period of April – June 2019

July 31, 2019. – The Portage progress report for the second quarter of 2019 is now available. It summarizes Portage activities and accomplishments and provides an update on Portage operations and communications undertaken in this period.

Read the progress report in English or in French.

CARL and CRKN Investigating National Solution for Minting DOIs with Datacite

July 31, 2019. Ottawa ON – The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) are investigating the feasibility of a national consortial approach to Datacite, the global non-profit organization that provides persistent identifiers (DOIs) for research data and other research outputs.

DOIs are persistent identifiers for digital objects and are widely used for identifying published content, datasets, and other scholarly research outputs. There are over 400,000 DOIs minted in Canada with Datacite and over 57,000 DOIs in Canada were minted in 2018. Up to now, Canadian institutions minting DOIs through Datacite have been supported by the National Research Council Canada as the national organization. This agreement ends as of January 1, 2020.

A collaborative approach to a Canadian Datacite consortium would allow the 45 Canadian institutions and repositories minting DOIs through Datacite to split the cost of the Datacite membership fee. In addition, Canadian institutions that are minting fewer than 100 DOIs per year will be able to participate in the national consortium at no charge. Institutions with more than 100 DOIs per year would pay a fee per repository, and a tiered fee based on the number of DOIs minted per year. A national approach also leverages the community support and leadership in Canada and allows members to engage in the governance and future developments of Datacite through a coordinated national voice.

CRKN and CARL, through the services of Portage, are exploring a model where CRKN offers licensing and billing support and Portage leverages the existing capacity of its Network of Experts to provide community support. This joint initiative ensures that the Canadian institutions who have integrated Datacite as part of their infrastructure continue to be supported with a sustainable model.

For more information, please contact:

Rebecca Ross
Director of Strategy and Engagement, CRKN
rross@crkn.ca
613-791-8334

Jeff Moon
Director, Portage Network
portagedir@carl-abrc.ca
613-533-6000 x 77992

Call for Applications: Canadian Data Curation Forum

The Organizing Committee, in collaboration with CARL Portage and McMaster University, invites individuals from across Canada to express their interest in attending part or all of the Canadian Data Curation Forum, being held October 16-18, 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario.

The SSHRC-funded Forum will consist of two events: A data curation training event (October 16th and the morning of the 17th) and a community-building forum (afternoon of October 17th and all-day on the 18th). More information for each event may be found at the Forum’s website. Individuals can use this application form to express their interest in attending one or both of the events. All expressions of interest must be submitted by the end of the day on August 15, 2019 to be considered. Successful applicants will be contacted shortly thereafter with registration information.

Applicants can apply (through the application form) for limited travel bursaries, which will be made available for attendees from traditionally underrepresented groups and organizations, early-career professionals, and those demonstrating financial need.

Questions, comments, or requests for more information can be sent to canadiandatacurationforum@gmail.com.

Updated: Dataverse North Metadata Best Practices Guide V 1.1

Version 1.1 of this guide provides overall guidance on the Dataverse 4.x citation metadata section. In particular, the guide:

Provides definitions and offers tips to clarify where needed.

Distinguishes between required, recommended and optional fields. Required fields are designated by the Dataverse system out-of-the-box. Recommended fields are considered best practice to improve data discovery and reuse. Optional fields are good to have.

The sample dataset can also be found on the Dataverse platform at: <https://doi.org/10.5072/FK2/TOXB6Q>