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The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of policies, digital infrastructures and hands-on support for eResearch at the University of Göttingen. Core elements of this activity are to provide support for research data management to researchers of all disciplines and to coordinate on-campus activities. These activities are actively aligned with disciplinary, national and international policies and e-infrastructures.

The process of setting up and implementing an institutional data policy and its necessary communications and workflows are described and analysed. A first assessment of service development and uptake is provided in the area of embedded research data support.

A coordination unit for eResearch brings together knowledge about methods and tools that are otherwise scattered across disciplinary units. This provides a framework for policy implementation and improves the quality of institutional research environments.

The study provides information about an institutional implementation strategy for infrastructure and services related to research data. The lessons learned allow insights into current challenges and work ahead.

With a cross-cutting, “horizontal” approach, in the Göttingen eResearch Alliance, two research-orientated infrastructure providers, a library and an IT service, combine their services and expertise to develop an eResearch service and support portfolio for the Göttingen Campus.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution to date and future directions in research data policy, infrastructure, skills development and advisory services in an Australian university, with a focus on the role of librarians.

The authors have been involved in the development of research data services at Griffith, and the case study presents observations and reflections arising from their first-hand experiences.

Griffith University’s organisational structure and “whole-of-enterprise” approach has facilitated service development to support research data. Fostering strong national partnerships has also accelerated development of institutional capability. Policies and strategies are supported by pragmatic best practice guidelines aimed directly at researchers. Iterative software development and a commitment to well-supported enterprise infrastructure enable the provision of a range of data management solutions. Training programs, repository support and data planning services are still relatively immature. Griffith recognises that information services staff (including librarians) will need more opportunities to develop knowledge and skills to support these services as they evolve.

This case study provides examples of library-led and library-supported activities that could be used for comparative purposes by other libraries. At the same time, it provides a critical perspective by contrasting areas of good practice within the University with those of less satisfactory progress. While other institutions may have different constraints or opportunities, some of the major concepts within this paper may prove useful to advance the development of research data capability and capacity across the library profession.

The rapid evolution of curation practices today is a response to expanded access to information and knowledge and the dynamic development of intelligent technologies well suited to curatorial practices. This chapter provides an overview of traditional curation theory and practice. It identifies its historical origins of anthropology, ethnography, museum work, and archival practices. The authors note that traditional curatorial practices have been a subset of preservation practices. Today it draws heavily from traditional practices but expands the goal and purpose beyond simple preservation to storytelling, learning, creating new perspectives, interpreting the past and present, and creating new business knowledge. The chapter lays out the emerging spectrum of curation purposes and practices. The widespread access to curatorial tools now opens curatorial work to the general public. More comprehensive access argues for a broader dialog around the new competencies and capabilities these new practices require.

This paper aims to assess whether the current eResearch Knowledge Centre’s (eRKC) research support practices align with researchers’ requirements for achieving their research objectives. The study’s objectives were to assess the current eRKC research support services and to determine which are adequate and which are not in supporting the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) researchers.

This study uses interviews as part of the qualitative approach. The researcher chose to use interviews, as some aspects warranted further explanation during the interview. The interviews were scheduled using Zoom’s scheduling assistant. The interviews were semi-structured, guided by a flexible interview procedure and supplemented by follow-up questions, probes and comments. The research life cycle questions guided the interviews. The data obtained were coded and transcribed using MS Excel. The interview data were analysed, using NVivo, according to the themes identified in the research questions and aligned with the theory behind the study. Pre-determined codes were created in line with the six stages of the research life cycle and applied to group the data and extract meaning from each category. Interviewee responses were assigned to groups in line with the stages of the research life cycle.

The current eRKC research support services are aligned with the needs of HSRC researchers and highlight services that could be expanded or promoted more effectively to HSRC researchers. It proposes a new service, data analysis, and suggests that the eRKC could play a more prominent role in research impact, research data management and fostering collaboration with HSRC research divisions.

This study is limited to assessing the eRKC’s support practices at the HSRC in Pretoria, South Africa. A more comprehensive study is needed for HSRC research services, capabilities and capacity.

Assessment of eRKC followed a comprehensive interviewee schedule that followed Raju and Schoombee’s research life cycle model.

Zoom’s scheduling assistant may have generated Zoom fatigue and reduced productivity. Technical issues, losing time, communication gaps and distant time zones may have affected face-to-face interaction.

eRKC research support practices are rare in South Africa and most parts of the world. This study bridges the gap between theory and practice in assessing eRKC research support practices.

陰陽 (yinyáng in Pinyin) is about interconnectedness rather than opposites. The purpose of this paper is to highlight how collaboration connects and strengthens the efforts across the sector and reinforces how the sum of the parts is greater than any one university alone. This paper shares the experience of conducting a collaborative project with three universities. It illustrates the fine balancing act of collaboration (yin) with competition (yang) amongst three of Australia ' s higher education institutions at a national level, with the aim of contributing to the career development of professionals in the fields of library services and eResearch.

Bond University, University of Western Australia and Griffith University have collaborated to develop a career mapping toolkit which builds on an earlier commissioned project completed by Council of Australian IT Directors (CAUDIT) focusing on enterprise information technology roles. This tri-institutional collaborative project reviews in detail the skills, knowledge and abilities of library and eResearch management roles in the respective organisations.

This project has been hugely rewarding for the initial three project partners who worked and collaborated well together, successfully completing project goals within agreed timeframes. Looking forward, career pathing will become more widespread as managers receive the requisite training, take ownership of these activities and grow to fully realise the value and potential of active career management to team performance. Ultimately, the use of the career pathing toolkit will enhance career satisfaction of the individual which in turn will lift the productivity of the organisational unit.

To ensure the ongoing viability of the career pathing toolkit, it is necessary to measure its relevance and effectiveness: each institution is confident in adopting/modifying the final product for internal use. This demonstrates confidence in the quality of the work produced by the other collaborators; adoption of the product by institutions which were not part of the initial collaboration; and willingness of another institution (not originally involved) to join the collaborative project and make a contribution.

The catalyst for collaboration between the three universities was realised when the authors saw an opportunity to address the important and pressing issue of career and workforce planning as a partnership project. The main objective for collaboration was to achieve a more comprehensive and speedier project outcome.

This paper shares the outcomes of the project which illustrates the fine balancing act of collaboration (yin) with competition (yang) amongst three of Australia ' s higher education institutions at a national level, with the aim of contributing to the career development of professionals in the fields of library and eResearch.

The aim is to develop a toolkit that: catalogues and maps the core professional roles needed in the next two to three years in the respective institutions; and specifies the knowledge and experience required in each core professional area including where there is overlap. In essence, the career map provides a toolkit for identifying the knowledge areas and skills, abilities and competencies required for each core area (organised by career streams) and professional role.

The purpose of this paper is to report on “turning a new page” (TNP), a business improvement initiative undertaken by Scholarly Information & Research (SIR). The aim is to embed innovation and integrate e‐research and library services. SIR is part of the Information Services (INS) division at Griffith University, one of the top research universities in Australia. SIR provides library services, publication support and eResearch services to over 43,000 students and staff at five campuses and online.

TNP combines methods from best practices around continuous improvement, change management and business planning to achieve better alignment operationally and to prioritise potential improvements to services. The focus is on services required in three to five years for the “new generation” of users who will need them.

Existing services were unevenly delivered and resources unevenly distributed. A key initial step is restructuring to collocate similar capabilities and redistribute resources, and provides a framework for developing future capacity. The integrated staffing approach nurtures innovation and skills development.

Integrating e‐research services with library services to this extent has not been achieved in an Australian context before. The combination of methods applied and the progress achieved to date illustrates the value of the approach and may be relevant for other research‐intensive universities.

This paper aims to outline principal implications for institutions, particularly universities, in supporting the increasingly complex tools which are used in the data lifecycle.

The discussion paper draws upon the experience of authors in this domain at the institutional, national and international levels.

Support for research tools by universities has high-level implications, ranging from financial, strategic and compliance through to capacity, capability and connectivity. The large number of existing tools highlights the need to evaluate them against standardised checklists to determine suitability and levels of resources required for support. Librarians and other information professionals need to expand their current support for research tools beyond the discovery phase to the entire data lifecycle.

Universities can use this paper to assess their maturity in supporting tools in the data lifecycle. Librarians, in particular, can broaden their knowledge of the various categories of tools which support specific aspects of that lifecycle.

While much attention is currently being focused on supporting researchers with their data management requirements, there is a general lack of literature on how to support tools as a critical element in enhancing research outcomes.

The aim of this case study is to describe a project created to enhance e‐research support activities within an Australian university. Within the university sector, e‐research support activities are becoming more sophisticated due to increased research activity and funding both nationally and internationally.

The paper case studies a project undertaken within an academic library to increase its capacity to offer e‐research support to the research community. The university's research community and research support staff are key players in this project.

The outcomes of the project have been successfully achieved. However, the project work should continue and ideally become core business in order to keep pace with developments in e‐research. The continual skills development of the university's researchers and research support staff in e‐research is imperative in the university becoming a competitive research institution.

Although a single case study, the work has been contextualised within the national research agenda and benchmarked with other universities conducting similar activities.

The paper describes a project model that can be adapted within an academic library without requiring external or specialist skills. It is also scalable and can be applied at a divisional or broader level.

The paper highlights the current drivers for research investment in Australia and provides a model for how universities can leverage this investment and contribute towards successful e‐research activity.

How academic libraries support the research of their parent institutions has changed as a result of forces such as changing scholarly communication practices, technological developments, reduced purchasing power and changes in academic culture. The purpose of this paper is to examine the professional and educational implications of current and emerging research support environments for academic libraries, particularly with regard to research data management and bibliometrics and discuss how do professionals and educators “make space” as new service demands arise?

The present paper uses data from a recent survey of research support provision by academic libraries in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, (authors 2013), and provides additional in depth analysis of the textual responses to extend the analysis in the light of forces for change in higher education. The original online questionnaire surveyed current and planned research support in academic libraries, and constraints or support needs related to service developments. It was distributed to 219 institutions in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland, and obtained 140 valid responses (response rate of 63.9 percent). Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics with thematic categorization and coding for the textual responses.

Most academic libraries surveyed are already providing or planning services in the focal areas of bibliometrics and data management. There was also increasing demand for other research support services, not the focus of the study, such as eresearch support, journal publishing platforms, and grant writing support. The authors found that while many academic libraries perceive increasing research support services as a “huge opportunity” they were constrained by gaps in staff skills, knowledge, and confidence and resourcing issues. With regard to staff education and training, it was reported they require a broader understanding of the changing research and scholarly landscape, the research cultures of different disciplines, and technological change. There was a near-universal support for development of more comprehensive, specialized, LIS education to prepare professionals for broader research support roles.

This further analysis of the implications of our survey in relation to influences such as economics, academic culture, technology, raises questions for both educators and practitioners about the future direction of the profession and how the authors collectively “make space” as new potential services arise.

The paper aims to describe a workforce‐planning model developed in‐house in an Australian university library that is based on rigorous environmental scanning of an institution, the profession and the sector.

The paper uses a case study that describes the stages of the planning process undertaken to develop the Library's Workforce Plan and the documentation produced.

While it has been found that the process has had successful and productive outcomes, workforce planning is an ongoing process. To remain effective, the workforce plan needs to be reviewed annually in the context of the library's overall planning program. This is imperative if the plan is to remain current and to be regarded as a living document that will continue to guide library practice. Research limitations/implications – Although a single case study, the work has been contextualized within the wider research into workforce planning.

The paper provides a model that can easily be deployed within a library without external or specialist consultant skills, and due to its scalability can be applied at department or wider level.

The paper identifies the trends impacting on, and the emerging opportunities for, university libraries and provides a model for workforce planning that recognizes the context and culture of the organization as key drivers in determining workforce planning.