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Research Data Management Support

Background

In response to inquiries from partner libraries and the Ministry of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills, the BC ELN Steering Committee began to discuss in July 2023 the ways in which BC ELN may support Research Data Management (RDM) strategies in the province. This discussion was followed by a survey of member libraries, the hosting of several information sessions on existing RDM services, and a meeting with the Small Institutions Community of Practice (SICoP).

The ideas that arose from these consultations, including a list of five possible next steps the BC ELN office could explore over the next two to three years, were outlined in a summary document (see BC ELN and Research Data Management Support: Recommendations) and shared with the Steering Committee ahead of the annual winter Business Meeting. At that meeting, held on December 1st, 2023, the Steering Committee approved a motion for the BC ELN office to explore the recommended next steps presented in the document:

  1. Explore interest in a collaborative curatorial support service
  2. Help partner libraries identify the services that will support their RDM strategies
  3. Provide shared spaces supporting cross-institution discussions about RDM
  4. Start a project to identify the existing data repositories that BC researchers use, and finding ways to connect them to library discovery tools
  5. Provide a shared online space, to compile and aggregate the training and documentation resources that partner libraries have already created

Moving Forward

The BC ELN office has proceeded with steps to identify services to support RDM strategies.

  • Understanding that BC ELN should not create redundant infrastructure, the office explored existing infrastructure available in Canada
  • Borealis and the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR) were selected as strong options for partner libraries
  • Partner libraries attended presentations by Borealis and FRDR, available for viewing here: RDM Session Videos, Slides, and Q&A
  • Further information about these two services and how they can support RDM at your institution has been summarized in a document here: RDM Decision Support

Data Deposit Options for Partner Libraries 

Joining Borealis for non-COPPUL Partner Libraries 

BC ELN is excited to announce that, as of April 1, 2026, partner libraries that are not full or affiliate COPPUL members will have the option to join the Borealis data repository service via BC ELN. Borealis, a national platform supporting research data deposit, preservation, and discovery, was previously only available to COPPUL members; however, BC ELN has now signed an agreement with Scholars Portal to offer the service to non-COPPUL BC ELN partner libraries.   

If you are interested in joining Borealis through BC ELN, please contact Brandon Weigel. Members of COPPUL should continue to join Borealis through COPPUL.  

Support for Borealis 

BC ELN’s only handles the consolidated invoicing for Borealis, for which no additional administrative fees or discounts are applied. All onboarding, training, operational support, and technical assistance are handled directly by Scholars Portal. Please see the documentation provided by Scholars Portal below: 

To use FRDR