Health Science Libraries Policy Support Preparedness for the Implementation of the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy

Objectives: In January 2023, the NIH will implement the Data Management and Sharing Policy to promote the sharing of scientific data to accelerate biomedical research. The policy requires submission of a data management and sharing plan, which is a new requirement for many researchers, and health science libraries (HSLs) and librarians can play a crucial role in assisting researchers with policy requirements. This study considers libraries’ and librarians’ preparedness for supporting the policy. These results will help elucidate gaps in existing expertise to inform the development of training and resources, as well as provide insight into existing services and expertise.

Methods: This study used surveys to elicit responses from HSLs and librarians about their preparedness for supporting the Data Management and Sharing (DMS) policy. HSL directors were contacted via the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) listserv and responded to one survey on behalf of their institutions. Questions addressed the services HSLs currently offer or plan to offer to assist researchers in complying with the DMS policy, challenges to offering services, and institutional characteristics. A second survey was announced through various listservs and social media hashtags for biomedical and data librarians. This survey geared towards individual librarians asked questions about how prepared respondents felt to engage with researchers on the DMS policy and what additional training or support they would need to to feel confident in assisting researchers with DMS policy questions. Data analysis was conducted using a combination of R and Qualtrics’ analysis features.

Results: Individual librarians reported a high level of preparedness in many of the skills needed to support the DMS policy, although there was a lower level of preparedness for skills related to informed consent and information privacy. Libraries are also offering a range of services in support of the policy. For services they are not currently offering, the primary reasons for not doing so were lack of staff expertise and bandwidth.

Conclusions: Health sciences libraries and librarians have a range of skills and are providing services in supporting the DMS policy and can serve as an important resource at their institutions. However, some gaps in knowledge do exist and could be addressed by new training opportunities. Librarians also have opportunities to partner with other campus organizations to address researchers' questions related to the policy.