Webinar: Scientific Sample Stewardship in the Research Lifecycle: Strategies for Archiving and Sharing Scientific Sample Metadata

  • 2026-01-27
  • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Zoom

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Scientific research frequently uses physical samples (e.g. rock samples, fossils, biological specimens, water samples, and more) as a basic element for reference, study, and experimentation in many disciplines, including earth sciences, material sciences, agriculture, physical anthropology, archaeology, and biomedicine. The large investments of public funds being made to university researchers to collect and analyze new samples, and the unique potential for samples to be reused, demand that these samples (and their high-value metadata) be openly accessible, easily discoverable, and documented sufficiently to enable reuse. A growing number of funders and organizations recommend the creation of sample management plans (similar to data management plans) to better enable sample reuse. But despite their value, many physical samples languish in ad hoc storage and may eventually be discarded or rendered obsolete due to lost or uncurated metadata. Sharing sample metadata is a crucial step toward enabling sample reuse and long-term curation, and we believe that data curation librarians can become a key source of expertise to support researchers in tackling this challenge. 

In this webinar, we will present an overview of the problem - the nuances of sample metadata and data, the history and scale of the problem, the ecosystem of stakeholders, and the technical landscape for supporting this type of research data management. We will provide the latest information on groups and initiatives working to further leading practices in this space. Over the course the webinar, participants will actively engage in discussion to draw out existing spaces or programs where university librarians can provide support to researchers, or to envision new ways forward to leverage the expertise of data curation librarians.

Registration is open now, and the webinar is scheduled to be recorded. RDAP webinar recordings are available to RDAP members through the RDAP Hub.

Contact: education@rdapassociation.org

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