Ilana Sacknovitz, Ex Libris
A key role of universities across the globe is to promote and support research efforts, including obtaining grants, curating research data, keeping track of the data, and disseminating the research findings in academic journals. Among the fundamental elements of a successful research process are effective data and metadata management, a robust repository, adequate analytics and reporting capabilities, and compliance with regulatory processes.
Supporting these activities presents a challenge for many universities. As Tracey Clarke and Andy Bussey of the University of Sheffield Library discuss in their recent article, Research Information Systems – fit for the future? A report on the situation and plans of the University of Sheffield Library, multiple systems are currently used to manage research data and output. The lack of integration between these systems and the resulting inability to manage all aspects of a process in one place creates complexity and difficulty in managing data flows and processes.
