The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is among institutions joining the Realities of Academic Data Sharing Initiative, a research project aimed at understanding and addressing the complexities and costs associated with managing and sharing data from funded research.
Nebraska is part of the latest cohort joining the current RADS institutions, which includes Duke University, the University at Buffalo, the University of Minnesota, and Washington University in St. Louis. Each institution will bring unique expertise and perspectives to the collective endeavor.
RADS’ research investigates how various organizational structures and infrastructure models impact expenses for public access to research data. In analyzing these various models, this research will aid institutions in building efficient and coordinated research data infrastructure to meet federal and public policies for data sharing.
Leslie Delserone, professor/research data services and science librarian, will serve as UNL’s research lead.
“The outcomes from the first RADS cohort have changed conversations and elevated institutional awareness and buy-in for both the values and the costs of the FAIR and CAREful sharing of research data at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln,” Liz Lorang, dean of Libraries, said. “Participating in the second cohort is a way for us to contribute to the research library community as well as to the advancement of open scholarship — and to ensure that the needs of Nebraska researchers are present in national conversations. I’m incredibly thankful to Professor Delserone for representing the UNL Libraries in this work.”
The six other institutions joining the RADS with UNL are:
- New York University
- University of Arizona
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- University of Kentucky
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of South Carolina
The RADS cohort institutions have demonstrated a high level of interest and commitment to advancing the understanding of data management and sharing costs. Participating institutions will receive complimentary institutional membership to the Data Curation Network for the term of the research project, with the exception of New York University and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, both of which are current DCN members. The DCN is a membership organization of institutional and nonprofit data repositories whose vision is to advance open research by making data more ethical, reusable, and understandable.
UNL Libraries have curated nine data collections for DCN institutions since joining in 2021; in return, the DCN curators have evaluated four UNL datasets.
Initially funded by the National Science Foundation, the RADS Initiative is currently supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services until 2026.
