Research Libraries – LIBER Open Science (up)skilling and training programmes in Europe: from selective case-studies to sharing best practices

Open Science (up)skilling and training programmes in Europe for researchers and academic libraries staff: from sketching the landscape with selective case-studies to sharing best practices

In a rapidly changing digital world, scholarly models, ways of working and techniques are being reinvented in the academic research landscape. Library staff and researchers need more training in order to cope with a myriad of topics: electronic resource management, data access, blockchains, and text and data mining - to name a few. Research libraries are a key force in efforts to confront this skills gap, to change cultures and to train both researchers and academic library staff. Research libraries support, create and deliver training programmes targeting Open Science digital skills development. They have strong expertise in the Open Science skilling and training field, and their knowledge is relevant not only for the library sector but for all stakeholders seeking to improve Open Science skills within their sector.

This poster displays the method and results corresponding to a pan-European study. From a series of interviews and case studies, we see that many approaches are being used across Europe by universities for skilling and training library staff and research communities: from mature programmes to emerging initiatives, from acculturating to upskilling staff with open science digital skills. By identifying and learning about the most relevant Open Science training programmes and initiatives in the current academic landscape, this study aims to share best practices with the academic research community and to help them select and define digital priorities. Finally, this study is a critical starting point for establishing a first Open Science Skillset. It highlights crucial entry points into the existing Open Science digital skills frameworks and provides helpful guidance in order to build an institutional Open Science staff lifelong training programme in a research center or a higher education institution.