Am 1. und 2. April habe ich am Fellowship of the Data - International RDM Community Meeting in Jena teilgenommen und dort mein Poster "USS Data Steward: Manual for new crew members" präsentiert.
Mit meinen drei Jahren Erfahrung als Data Stewardess habe ich acht Empfehlungen für Leute, die neu in diesem Beruf tätig sind, zusammengestellt. Das Poster ist online in Zenodo und PHAIDRA, aber ich wollte den Text auch hier in meinem Blog zur Diskussion stellen. Gibt es etwas, das ich vergessen habe? Bei welchen Punkten würdet Ihr mir zustimmen oder widersprechen?
USS Data Steward: Manual for new crew members
Your deployment on the USS Data Steward is now in force. This is your first day - welcome to the crew! To enable a smooth onboarding, the Senior Data Officers have prepared this manual with eight recommendations for your first months on the job.
Scan the local landscape
Find out about institutional policies, infrastructure and services, and the key stakeholders - the official and the unofficial ones.
Contact all your departments and attend faculty and departmental meetings to introduce yourself. Attend public lectures at your departments to show interest and be visible.
Subscribe to subspace channels
There are many helpful subspace channels.
For German-speaking planets, we generally recommend
forschungsdaten-l and
RfII Infoticker. Those two channels help you keeping an overview.
Add more RDM or discipline-specific channels to taste.
Avoid black holes of webinars
There are so many interesting webinars, lunch lectures, and online talks out there! You might be tempted to warp into every session because you think you need to be up-to-date in every aspect of RDM.
It’s very good to be open for new information, but set yourself a limit. Try to balance RDM and discipline-specific events.
Know your crew
“Data” might not be a usual term in your discipline. Try to find the right one. Learn to understand different research cultures.
Read sideways
Data management does not exist in a vacuum.
“Anyone can be trained in the mechanics of piloting a starship. It takes more. Open your mind to the past - art, history, philosophy” (Captain Jean-Luc Picard in: The Samaritan Snare)
Read about more than data management - e.g. pedagogy, innovation, critical library studies, or philosophy of science. Expand your horizon.
Log your victories
Document small and big successes, whether it’s a researcher implementing a better practice because of your advice, a heartfelt “thank you” from a colleague, or a tricky policy issue you helped navigate.
Have a look at this collection if you feel overwhelmed or have a bout of impostor syndrome.
Find allies and ask for help
When commencing your duties on USS Data Steward, you might want to prove that you are irreplaceable and always show your best side.
But be assured: You don’t need to know everything. Don’t be shy to ask for help! Data Stewards on this and on other starships are a friendly bunch.
Expect resistance
Not everyone will be enthusiastic about data management. Listen to concerns and find ways to meet researchers where they are. Understanding common objections and preparing comebacks will help you in your daily life.
As far as the strict requirements of the Star Fleet Research Funding Agency are concerned: Resistance is futile!
