Category: News

Portage Network Releases White Paper on Research Data Preservation in Canada

May 17, 2018. – The Portage Network has just released a white paper entitled Research Data Preservation in Canada, written by members of the Portage Preservation Expert Group (PEG), on behalf of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries: Umar Qasim – PEG Chair (University of Alberta), Corey Davis (University of Victoria and Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries), Alex Garnett (Simon Fraser University), Steve Marks (University of Toronto), Michael Moosberger (Dalhousie University).

The Preservation Expert Group (PEG) was created to advise Portage on developing research data management (RDM) infrastructure and best practices for preserving research data and metadata in Canada. The members of PEG have written this White Paper as a foundation document to describe the current digital preservation landscape, highlighting some of the digital preservation work already being undertaken in Canada, and to identify challenges that need to be addressed by Portage and other stakeholders to develop and improve RDM capacity and infrastructure across the country. This White

Paper is intended to stimulate discussion of digital preservation initiatives and directions in Canada, and how Portage, in collaboration with other stakeholders, can play a role in helping to define and advance these initiatives.

Research Data Preservation in Canada (PDF) 

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About Portage:

Portage is a national research data management initiative to assist researchers and other research data management stakeholders through a library-based network of expertise on RDM and national platforms for planning, preserving, and discovering research data. Portage is managed by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.

For more information, please contact:

Umar Qasim, Chair, Portage Preservation Expert Group

Umar.Qasim@ualberta.ca

Jeffrey Moon, Portage Director, Canadian Association of Research Libraries

moonj@queensu.ca

Portage Progress Report: Winter 2018

May 04, 2018 – The Portage progress report for the first quarter of 2018 is now available describing the status of activities and accomplishments made toward the goals outlined in the Portage Business Plan: 2017-2018, as well as operations and communications for this period.

Read the progress report in English or in French.

 Highlights from this reporting period include:

• The signing of an MOU between CARL-Portage and the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire (BCI)
• The publication of an institutional RDM strategy template and guidance documents
• Submissions by Portage Expert Groups to the CANARIE community consultation
• Progress made on version 2.0 of the DMP Assistant
• Outputs proposed by the Working Group on Responsible RDM Practices for Sensitive Data
• The inclusion of new research groups into the limited production phase of the Federated Research Data Repository

Portage Releases Draft Institutional RDM Strategy Template

March 01, 2018 – In response to the anticipated Tri-Agency research data management (RDM) policy, the Portage Institutional RDM Strategy Working Group has released a draft template and supporting guidance document that are designed to assist Canadian research institutions in developing an overarching strategy for RDM. These resources will exist as living documents, to be updated by the Working Group as needed.

Strategy Template: English and French

Guidance Document: English and French

The Working Group requests community feedback on the strategy template and guidance document be sent to portage@carl-abrc.ca. 

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About the Portage Institutional RDM Strategy Working Group:

The Institutional RDM Strategy Working Group is an inter-organizational group convened by Portage to provide institutions with resources for facilitating discussions and processes for preparing an institutional strategy for RDM. Membership is drawn from organizations across Canada, with representatives of the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA), the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers (CUCCIO), CASRAI-CA, Research Data Canada (RDC) and the Tri-Agency Data Management Working Group.

About Portage:

Portage is a national research data management initiative to assist researchers and other RDM stakeholders through a library-based network of expertise and national platforms for planning, preserving, and discovering research data. Portage is managed by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL).

Agreement Between CARL and BCI on RDM and Digital Preservation

The following announcement has just been posted to the CARL website:

CARL and BCI Reach Agreement for the Advancement Research Data Management and Digital Preservation in Canada (February 22, 2018)

Event summary: Portage and RDM in Canada – Toronto

February 5, 2018 – On January 30, 2018, Portage brought together stakeholders from across the academic sphere to discuss topics in research data management in Canada and the Portage network. The event was hosted by Ryerson University, and drew more than 80 participants representing over 30 organizations from across Canada.

The day of activities began with a presentation by Matthew Lucas (Executive Director,‎ Corporate Strategy and Performance, SSHRC) discussing the current Tri-Agency data management policy initiative (view slides). Jeff Moon (Director, Portage) also delivered an update on the development of the Portage network (view slides).

The morning concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Steven Liss (Vice-President Research and Innovation, Ryerson University), which brought together researchers and university administrators to speak to the topic of RDM best-practices and the need for coordinated institutional, domain, and national data management services in Canada (view panelist bios). A video recording of the morning events is also available to view online.

Concurrent workshops were offered in the afternoon: “Portage and the DMP Assistant” provided an overview of data management plans and their value to researchers and those involved in providing research services on campus (view slides); while, “Portage Supported RDM Platforms – FRDR and Dataverse” provided an overview of Portage-supported RDM platforms with an examination of the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR) and Dataverse (view slides).

The event organizers wish to thank both presenters and participants for their insights and engagement, and look forward to future Portage events across the country.

Portage Progress Report: Fall 2017

February 01, 2018 – The Portage progress report for the fourth quarter of 2017 is now available describing the status of activities and accomplishments made toward the goals outlined in the Portage Business Plan: 2017-2018, as well as operations and communications for this period.

Read the progress report in English or in French.

 Highlights from this reporting period include:

• The formation of two new Portage Working Groups: The Institutional RDM Strategy Working Group, and the Inter-Organizational Working Group on Ethical RDM Practices
• Progress made by Dataverse North sub-groups in developing briefing papers
• The inclusion of new research groups into the limited production phase of the Federated Research Data Repository
• The completion of the Portage Formative Assessment Summary Report

Portage Announces the FRDR Discovery Service Working Group

Registration Now Open! Portage and RDM in Canada – Toronto, Jan. 30 2018

“Portage and Research Data Management in Canada” is a full-day event that you will want to attend on Tuesday, January 30th, 2018, at Ryerson University in Toronto. The Portage Network is hosting three events on this day, which are scheduled the day before the opening of the OLA Super Conference 2018!

The day of activities begins with a morning plenary session that will include presentations from the Portage Director and Tri-Agency representatives of the RDM Policy Working Group. Following will be a panel discussion including researchers and university administrators on the subject of RDM best-practices and the need for coordinated institutional, domain, and national data management services in Canada. Participants from the morning session are also invited to attend a networking lunch with representatives of the Portage Network of Experts.
Registration limited to 80 participants.

* The morning plenary session and networking lunch are sold out. Please send an e-mail to portage@carl-abrc.ca if you wish to add your name to our waiting list.

For those interested in this event but who are unable to attend in person, the morning session will be live streamed from 9:00AM – 12:00 PM. Visit the Ryecast Events webpage for more information: https://ryecast.ryerson.ca/1/page/LiveEvents.aspx.

In the afternoon, participants will be offered a choice between two workshops:

“Portage and the DMP Assistant”: This workshop will provide an overview of data management plans and their value to researchers and those involved in providing research services on campus. Practical instruction on the use of the Portage Data Stewardship template and the online DMP Assistant platform will be provided.
Registration limited to 40 participants

“Portage-Supported RDM Platforms (FRDR and Dataverse)”: This workshop will provide an overview of Portage-supported RDM platforms with an examination of the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR) and Dataverse. This will allow participants to review key considerations and opportunities for integrating these platforms into local data services.
Registration limited to 80 participants

Program: https://portagenetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Program-Portage-Toronto-Jan-30-EN.pdf 

Panelist Bios: https://portagenetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Panelists-Portage-Toronto-Jan-30-EN.pdf 

Registration form (deadline Jan. 22!): https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/l/Event-Portage-Toronto-Jan-30-2018

Registration is free of charge and operates on a first registered, first served basis.

If you have any questions about the registration process or encounter problems completing your registration, please contact us by email at portage@carl-abrc.ca.

Stay tuned to the Portage website for event updates.

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[Update 15.01.2018 – Program and Panelist Bios URLs updated. Registration update and live streaming info added.]

[Update 25.01.2018 – Live stream URL added.]

Call for Participation: Portage Data Management Planning Expert Group

November 21, 2017 – Portage is currently seeking expressions of interest to join its Data Management Planning Expert Group (DMPEG). The objective of DMPEG is to develop guidelines, best practices, and content in support of templates and guidance materials for the CARL-Portage data management planning service. For more information about this Portage Expert Group, please consult their Terms of Reference.

An emerging area of interest for DMPEG is the development of domain-specific guidance and templates for data management plans. We are therefore seeking volunteers from both the library and broader research community (e.g. data managers, researchers) who can contribute their in-depth expertise in various fields of research; for e.g., health sciences, natural sciences, business, indigenous studies, and more.

If you would like to join DMPEG or to learn more, please contact Carol Perry (carolp@uoguelph.ca) (Acting Chair of DMPEG) and Jeff Moon (moonj@queensu.ca) (Portage Director) with a brief expression of interest. Submission deadline is December 01, 2017.

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.

Save the Date! Portage and RDM in Canada – Toronto, Jan. 30, 2018

“Portage and Research Data Management in Canada” is a full-day training event that you will want to attend on Tuesday, January 30th, 2018, at Ryerson University in Toronto, ON. The Portage Network is hosting three events on this day, which are scheduled the day before the opening of the OLA Super Conference 2018!

We invite you to join this gathering of a national community of practice for research data management (RDM) in Canada! The day of activities begins with a morning plenary session that will engage local researchers in a round-table discussion of RDM best-practices and the need for coordinated institutional, domain, and national data management services in Canada.

In the afternoon, participants will be offered a choice between two workshops:

“Portage and the DMP Assistant”: This workshop will provide an overview of data management plans and their value to researchers and those involved in providing research services on campus. Practical instruction on the use of the Portage Data Stewardship template and the online DMP Assistant platform will be provided. This session is directed primarily at researchers, data managers, and librarians.

“Portage-Supported RDM Platforms (FRDR and Dataverse)”: This workshop will provide an overview of Portage-supported RDM platforms with an examination of the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR) and Dataverse. This will allow participants to review key considerations and opportunities for integrating these platforms into local data services. This workshop is directed primarily at librarians and administrators.

There will be no registration fee for these events, however, participants will be required to register in advance. Please note that registration for the workshops will be limited on a first registered, first served basis.

Stay tuned for more details and registration information.

If you have any questions, please contact Jane Fry (jane.fry@carleton.ca) Chair, Portage Training Expert Group.