EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes opened the RDA launch event with a speech heralding “a new era of open science”. Commissioner Kroes welcomes the global approach embodied by the RDA and highlighted the need for interoperability, discoverability and an open approach.
150 individuals representing stakeholders from the sciences, infrastructures, libraries, technology providers and so on were present at the meeting. The major research data related initiatives from across the globe were represented in the attendance list, including COAR and OpenAire.
Collaboration with libraries was highlighted by Manfried Laubichler, Professor of Theoretical Biology and History of Biology at Arizona State University who has worked with librarians from the beginning of his research ensuring that quality metadata was in place.
RDA working groups tasked with addressing both technical and soft solutions have been established. These include data citation, persistent identification, preservation, linking data to publications, developing skills, engaging researchers, and legal interoperability as well as discipline specific groups.
Individual libraries can engage in these working groups and ensure that the role of libraries in the research data arena is recognised on a global scale. From working to help ensure interoperability through common metadata and ontologies to devising ways to engage the research community, libraries can and should have a lot to contribute.
To find out more about the working groups (and possibly join) go to: http://rd-alliance.org/working-groups/general-introduction/.
Read the full LIBER annoucement here: http://www.libereurope.eu/blog/launch-of-the-research-data-alliance-time-to-engage-at-a-global-level
