In a significant move to enhance open data practices in African research institutions, a new online course for librarians will be launched during International Open Access Week (October 21-27, 2024). The Open Data Management Foundational Course, offered free of charge over four weeks, aims to bolster the research data management capacity of librarians across Africa.

Facilitated by AfLIA (African Library and Information Associations and Institutions), the course is a collaborative effort with Figshare, a leading provider of institutional repository infrastructure, and the Africa PID Alliance, part of the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa). Course leaders include experts from Figshare, Digital Science, and TCC Africa.

Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the importance of open data management in Africa and principles such as FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics). The curriculum will cover best practices in FAIR data management, including persistent identifiers (PIDs), policies, and plans, along with topics such as data sovereignty and open research data infrastructures.

Delivered via Moodle, the course will feature interactive elements like discussion forums, group activities, and live Q&A sessions. Successful participants will receive a Certificate of Excellence upon completion.

Dr. Helena Asamoah-Hassan, Executive Director of AfLIA, emphasised the course's importance: “Management of data is critical know-how that African librarians need to improve upon to support the curation, preservation, accessibility, and ethical handling of research data. We have seen repeated calls from library and information professionals across Africa to help build or strengthen the research data management capacity in our region, and we are pleased to be responding to that call with this new foundational course.”

Ms Joy Owango, Executive Director of TCC Africa and Project Lead at the Africa PID Alliance stated: “This new foundational course aligns with Africa PID Alliance’s Capacity Strengthening and Training Focal Area. We aim to develop a skilled workforce capable of making significant contributions to FAIR scholarly infrastructure. This training will support International Open Access Week’s subtheme, ‘Community over Commercialization,’ reinforcing the research library community's leadership in open research initiatives.”

The course is open to academic and research librarians from Africa, as well as other library and information professionals and students interested in open research data management. Registrations of interest will open in late August 2024.

 

Article by Jed Mwangi

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