Strengthening Data Management Systems: Insights from the MAP Project's Institutional Pilots

Presented March 12, 2025, at the RDAP 2025 Summit (Virtual) Slide deck is also available on RDAP 2025 Public Materials OSF project at: https://osf.io/zx9qk Presentation recording is available on YouTube on the RDAP 2025 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G6SphONTec Abstract: In response to growing requirements for managing and sharing federally funded research data, the California Digital Library (CDL) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), launched the Machine Actionable Plans (MAP) Pilot Project. This initiative addresses the pressing need for academic and research libraries of all sizes to enhance resilient infrastructures capable of supporting effective data sharing and compliance with emerging mandates. In this presentation, we will share insights from 5 pilot institutions selected to explore the integration of machine-actionable Data Management and Sharing Plans (maDMSPs) into their existing research infrastructures. Each team led a local project focused on enhancing campus coordination to improve workflows for data management and sharing, while also contributing to the testing of the enhanced DMP Tool capabilities and persistent identifier registries. Approaches included prototyping AI into plan feedback and implementation, interdepartmental notification and tracking, onboarding, outreach, capacity building, and assessment. Attendees of this session will gain a practical understanding of how maDMSPs can help build institutional capacity for data management, streamline compliance processes, and reduce researchers’ administrative load. Through the experiences of these pilot institutions, we’ll discuss coordinated approaches to data services that can be scaled and adapted to meet evolving research needs across campuses.