Information, Vol. 16, Pages 1046: Beyond Service Inventories: A Three-Dimensional Framework for Diagnosing Structural Barriers in Academic Library Research Dataset Management

Information doi: 10.3390/info16121046

Authors:
Mthokozisi Masumbika Ncube
Patrick Ngulube

Academic libraries have assumed expansive research data management (RDM) responsibilities, yet persistent dataset underutilisation suggests systemic disconnects between services and researcher needs. This scoping review applied a three-dimensional diagnostic framework to examine why libraries struggle to advance beyond consultative roles despite sustained investment. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, this review analysed 34 empirical studies (2015–2025). Electronic databases, key journals, and grey literature sources were systematically reviewed, with 65% of studies originating from high-income (Global North) contexts. The analysis integrated the Institutional Readiness Index (IRI), Service Maturity Level (SML), and Information Flow Efficiency (IFE) to assess library engagement with research datasets. Three structural patterns constrain effectiveness. First, a capacity-complexity mismatch emerges as libraries manage increasingly diverse datasets without proportional infrastructure scaling, creating bottlenecks in discoverability, interoperability, and preservation. Second, structural progression barriers appear, where advancement requires simultaneous development across infrastructure, staffing, governance, and engagement rather than sequential improvement. Third, an implementation gap separates Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) policy awareness from operational capacity, as most institutions demonstrate standards knowledge without technical operationalisation ability. These patterns form interdependent constraints: infrastructure limitations correlate with restricted services, which are associated with persistent researcher skill gaps, reduced engagement, and constrained resource allocation, reinforcing the initial deficits. The review framework provides diagnostic specificity for identifying whether constraints stem from readiness, maturity, or implementation failures. This study advances RDM scholarship by explaining stagnation patterns rather than cataloguing services, offering an empirically grounded diagnostic tool. However, the findings reflect predominantly high-resource contexts and require validation across diverse institutional settings.

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