Students from the UAS Grisons Bachelor’s in Information Science applied their knowledge in an European context by contributing feedback to LIBER’s (Association of European Research Libraries) “Data Management Plans in a Nutshell” guide from an beginners’ perspective. Their input helped ensure the document meets the needs of both experienced librarians and early-career professionals.
At UAS Grisons, we are committed to bridging theory and practice in our teaching. The Bachelor’s programme in Information Science, offered by the Swiss Institute for Information Science (SII) (a member of the iSchools network) provides students with many opportunities to work on practical projects that have a real-world impact. One such successful example is the focus of this blog post.
As part of the Data Competence specialisation within the Information Science programme, the course Data Management, co-led by Dr. Ana Petrus and Prof. David H. Schiller, brings together the topics of research data management and operational data management. The aim is to give students a well-rounded understanding of the challenges involved in managing, using and re-using both research and operational data in today’s digital landscape. The topics covered include the FAIR and Open Science principles, metadata, active data management, data valorisation, smart data, and data infrastructures.
Whenever possible, we integrate exercises and assignments that connect students to real-world projects while aligning with the course syllabus. Back in autumn 2024, through Dr Petrus’ involvement in the LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries) Research Data Management (RDM) Working Group, our students were invited to provide feedback on a then draft version of Data Management Plans (DMPs) in a Nutshell, a guidance document the Working Group was preparing.
LIBER Working Groups regularly produce white papers and guidance materials to help professionals in research libraries maintain best practices and access up-to-date, concise information. The goal of this DMP guide was to make it relevant not only for experienced librarians but also for early-career professionals just finishing their studies or starting their first roles in research libraries. Feedback from our students therefore served as a valuable “stress test” for its clarity and real-world applicability to a new generation of research librarians.
Before providing feedback, students learned what data management plans are: concise documents describing how research data will be collected, organised, stored, shared, and preserved during and after a project. They also learned why such plans matter, from ensuring data remains well-structured, secure, accessible, and reusable to meeting ethical standards and funder requirements. Drawing on this knowledge and on skills developed in earlier semesters, they were well equipped to evaluate the draft document.
Because LIBER and the RDM Working Group are international, the feedback process was conducted anonymously through an online collaborative platform, giving students insight into cross-border professional collaboration. Students first provided individual written comments, which were then discussed collectively in class to clarify questions and identify additional points. The RDM Working Group combined these contributions with feedback from other seasoned professionals, resulting in the final document, published before the summer break and available here.
We want to thank the LIBER RDM Working Group for their openness and support towards young information science professionals, and our students for their thoughtful contributions and lively discussions. It was a pleasure to offer them the chance to help shape a Europe-wide resource during their studies.
Further FHGR blogs can be found here.
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Dr. Ana Petrus is an adjunct lecturer of research data management at the UAS Grisons and founder of the data management consultancy scivia GmbH. Prof. David H. Schiller is head of the research field “Information Lifecycle Management” and lecturer for data and knowledge management at the UAS Grisons.