Tag: technology

SciPop Talks! Meet us at the Intersection of Science and Pop Culture

#SciPopTalks

SciPop Talks Schedule of Events Image
SciPop Talks Schedule of Events

One of my favorite reasons for not having time to post here is our new SciPop Talks! series hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries in collaboration with the UNL Department of Chemistry and Doane College.

Check out this great Storify of Dr. Raychelle Burks’ talk on how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse. Video coming soon by popular demand! In the meantime fight smarter not harder and check out the webpage for her talk for related books, movies, links, and more!

Below is a quick video ACS Reactions made with Raychelle based on her talk.

The Mark Griep’s talk on Alien Biochemistry in the Movies even includes an interview with an attendee. Check out the webpage for related materials including Dr. Griep’s book ReAction! Chemistry in the Movies.

There are two questions everyone seems to want to know the answer to. Are the talks successful and how did they come about? So far we’ve have four talks and 200+ attendees! (Note I did not count library staff and student workers, or journalists, in this number.)

The talks came about mainly because we finally had the right group of people at the right time. Rebecca Lai and Raychelle Burks organize the speakers, Joanie Barnes organizes the space, library support, and publicity. I primarily organize the webpage, books for checkout display. We all brainstorm what to do next, how we can tie other outreach events into future outreach activities, what’s working and what’s not. All of us are well connected but with very different networks. Interestingly I am the only person who knew all the individuals before this project started.

In many ways this is a prime example of what I do, connecting people with the same interests and passions, this time is unique in that for once I stayed involved. Usually the people I connect are working on projects outside my scope and/or areas of interest. You never really know what the future will bring, but you put together four very driven people and that odds are in your favor. We’re already planning on who else we need to collaborate with on campus, Office of Research and Economic Development for one, to capitalize on our momentum to do some serious science outreach and education.

Issues in Data Management

Data Management Circuit Board Image
How are you saving your data?

Data Management has been a hot topic for several years. Many people have written about self-motivated archiving versus mandated arching. A significant issue is that of cost, who is going to foot the bill for storing and maintaining all this data that we so blithely generate?

Librarians and information technology professionals have collaborated with researchers to build and maintain domain and institutional repositories, making them the perfect people to provide consultation on the creation of data management plans.

Free Resources:

Data Management libraries web page This is the webpage we provide for researchers who are looking for information on creating data mangement plans. (Please note some of this information is specific to my university.)

Data Management LibGuide This guide provides detailed explanations about many data management terms and issues. It also provides links to many other resources on data management and curation.?(Please note some of this information is specific to my university.)

Suddenly I’m consulting on data management plans Handout This handout was created for a short SLA webcast where I was asked to briefly go over everything you need to know to consult on data management plans. This checklist was created to help consultants ensure that they’ve checked all their bases when offering a consultation.

FigShare is good option for researchers who do not have an institutional or domain repository and need somewhere to put their data. It is securely backed up and researchers can determine when and how much of their data is shared on an item by item basis.

Professional Development
Together with my colleague Dee Ann Allison I am co-teaching two ACRL eLearning events focused on data management plans.

What You Need to Know about Writing Data Management Plans (April 7-25, 2014)
This course teaches participants about the elements of a successful data management plan, and provides practice critiquing data management plans in a supportive learning environment where no grant funding is at stake.? Join two experienced data management plan consultants with experience in liaison librarianship and information technology as they demonstrate how all librarians have the ability to successfully consult on data management plan.

An Introduction to Data Management Plans (May 27, 2014)
Examine the elements of a data management plan, learning about data repository and preservation options, discuss the pros and cons of providing boilerplate language to researchers, and learn about tips and tricks for dealing with unique data management issues.