National Research Council Releases Report Titled “Preparing the Workforce for Digital Curation”

In the recently released report from the National Research Council, recommendations were provided related to the collection of the large amount of digital data that is available across scientific disciplines and sectors, including government, business, and health.  This data, if accurate, has the potential to speed scientific discovery, spur innovation, inform policy, and support transparency.

Highlights of the report addressed:

• The urgent need for policies, technologies, and expertise in digital curation
   
• Collaboration among research communities, government agencies, commercial firms, and educational institutions to expedite the development and adoption of digital curation standards and good practices
   
• Strengthening the digital curation workforce to develop training programs and material and track employment demand

Numerous individual were responsible for the development of this report, including the following RDA/US members:

• Margaret Hedstrom (chair)
  Robert M. Warner Collegiate Professor
  School of Information
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor
   
• Peter Fox, Professor and Tetherless World Research Chair
  Earth and Environmental and Computer Sciences Departments
  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  Troy, N.Y.
   
• Paul Uhlir
  Director of the Board on Research Data and Information
  U.S. National Academies
  Washington, DC

The study itself was sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Science Foundation.

For more information, visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=18590.