Collaborative Open Science at Université Grenoble Alpes
Libraries advance teaching, research, and learning by providing resources, enabling discovery, and offering expert guidance. As software source code becomes increasingly central to contemporary scholarship, libraries must support researchers who work with it. In this series of interviews, professionals share their approach to research software.
Frédéric Saby is curator of libraries and head of the “Bibliothèques et Appui à la Science Ouverte” (DGD BAPSO) department, which serves all students and teacher-researchers at the Université Grenoble-Alpes.
Université Grenoble-Alpes implements an open publication, data, and code policy. The Open Science Blueprint is subdivided into four challenges and 21 actions, including challenge number three “Improve support throughout the life cycle of data, code and software.” For example, UGA recommends archiving research codes in Software Heritage, in conjunction with a HAL record. Frédéric Saby discusses both organizational and strategic issues.
Key takeaways
“The role of libraries is evolving, and we need to explain to librarians that Open Science isn’t just about publications: it includes data and software.”
“Software represents an emerging topic but is perhaps not as far removed from the scope of libraries as one might think.”
“Software Heritage meets needs not met by other infrastructures.”
Organizational challenges of open science
How has the library’s role in open science evolved?
Université Grenoble Alpes libraries have been involved in Open Science for many years. A particularly revealing sign of this commitment is the change in the department’s name: four years ago, the documentation department became the Direction générale déléguée chargée des bibliothèques et de l’appui à la science ouverte, (Directorate for Libraries and Open Science)or BAPSO. This change makes a great deal of sense, as it demonstrates in a tangible way that open science is fully within the scope of university libraries. Open Science is taken into account in the functional organization of the department itself.
The department is divided into several divisions, including the Direction d’appui à la recherche et à la science ouverte (Research and Open Science Support Division) or – DARSO. This department is responsible for managing Open Science. The director of DARSO, Lucie Albaret, is also in charge of the institution-wide Open Science mission, alongside Violaine Louvet, research engineer in scientific computing and administrator of research data here at the university.
Work on publications is firmly rooted in librarians’ activities, and the number of open-access publications has steadily increased. Libraries are now working on research data and source code.
How does your institution foster Open Science, particularly for data management and software curation?
Collaboration between the libraries and Gricad, an intensive computing and data infrastructure, has played a decisive role. The university presidency appointed Albaret and Louvet, former director of Gricad from 2016 to 2022, as Open Science project managers. This dual appointment is not neutral, and allows us to benefit from complementary skills: Gricad is home to computer scientists and mathematicians, who contribute their knowledge of software engineering, while BAPSO contributes from its area of documentary expertise.
Another specific feature of the Grenoble context is the existence of a university-wide Open Science unit, to which BAPSO actively contributes. BAPSO is the university’s main contact for Open Science issues.
Behind the scenes of the open science blueprint
What actions have the libraries taken?
In the field of Open Science, our actions can be divided into three components. First, the libraries are dedicated to verifying data consistency and metadata quality in HAL software repositories. This first area of work is dedicated to moderation. Although the software is a special object, the librarians’ tasks are part of a continuum: they involve checking keywords, identifying the production context of the deposited code, working on author affiliations, etc. These tasks are currently integrated into the library’s metadata management system. At present, these tasks are included in the job descriptions of seven people, and probably more in the future, as this activity is set to expand.
The second area of work is the training of researchers and doctoral students. Librarians are involved in the Collège doctoral and Inrae seminars. The librarians also produce practical information sheets on depositing source code. These resources are available on the university website.
Finally, the third area of work is legal issues, in collaboration with the university’s research department. The head of DARSO’s thesis department has been trained in intellectual property issues.
Training and support on legal issues are essential prerequisites for software registration.
Support is a major challenge
What are users’ main needs?
Training is a fundamental need. Beyond HAL deposits, we must educate users about the broader scientific information ecosystem, including Software Heritage. We can’t assume that certain tasks, such as depositing an article in HAL, are self-evident. We need to offer support to researchers.
What does library staff need most?
This is a managerial challenge that falls squarely on library leadership. Convincing staff to participate requires strategic planning and effective communication. Staff may be reluctant to embrace the idea of developing services and skills in new areas. While the subject of publications has become familiar, the same cannot be said for software. The role of libraries is changing, and librarians too need to be made aware that Open Science is not just about publications: it includes data and software.
The deposit of source codes and the legal issues associated with opening them up are part of a university’s research strategy. And the library can support this research policy, playing an active role and even becoming a pillar of this strategy.
Legitimacy and evolution of librarians’ skills
What are the advantages of libraries working on a subject that may still be perceived as far removed from their usual activities?
In the field of publications, the question no longer arises, and the library is seen as the natural player in these issues. Software is an emerging subject, but perhaps not as far removed from the library’s field of action as one might think. BAPSO’s three areas of action mobilize existing skills. The software is treated as a documentary object: librarians know how to process different types of documents and have regularly upgraded their skills. Librarians have been involved in training for over ten years. Although source code differs from books, it too requires documentary processing. However, it should be pointed out that in the case of software, more than for other types of documents, the target audience is more restricted. But the dynamic remains the same, as seen from the questions raised about intellectual property. From the outset of the Open Science master plan, the libraries were recognized as the primary point of contact for other university departments.
Complementing library services
If you were to talk to another library director, how would you describe Software Heritage’s contribution to his or her department?
Software Heritage meets needs not met by other infrastructures. This logic of complementarity is comparable to the partnership between BAPSO and Gricad. Some institutions choose to develop their own tools, but delegating expertise is a better option. In the early days of the library management system (LMS), some university IT departments chose to develop local solutions rather than rely on specialized service providers. The problem is similar to source code.
Librarians and their software stories: Monocle
Saby recounts that in the 1960s, Marc Chauveinc, then-Director of Libraries at Grenoble University, developed an LMS called Monocle. The library’s software archives offer a glimpse into the past, potentially illuminating the evolution of software development at the school. This historical record could shed light on the subject for new generations of IT specialists, marking the beginning of a new software narrative.
Further reading
The university’s commitment to Open Science:
How to promote the HAL software repository
Since 2018, a collaboration between the CCSD, Inria, and Software Heritage has enabled software deposits in HAL to be transferred to Software Heritage. Numerous resources on software deposit are available:
- Resources for end users:
- Resources for librarians: https://inria.hal.science/hal-01876705
- Document for research team leaders: http://doc.hal.science/essentiels/#le-depot-de-logiciels-software-deposit