DataCite Listen and Learn Virtual Session – Listening Party

MAY 4, 2025

Metadata is at the heart of open science. It helps us find, share, reuse, and trust research outputs. Yet many librarians still ask simple questions:

What is metadata?
Why does it matter?
How does it support open science?
And how can global tools like DataCite help libraries and researchers?

To explore these questions, AfLIA is pleased to invite you to a DataCite Listen and Learn Virtual Session, designed as a Listening Party on DataCite tools and Metadata. Participants will listen, learn, and discuss key ideas together. The focus is on understanding metadata in a practical and meaningful way.

The Listening Party will use a curated playlist from the DataCite YouTube Channel. During the session, we will stream five short videos. Each video will be followed by a 5–10 minute group discussion.

The discussions will allow participants to reflect on what they heard. They will also share experiences from their own libraries and institutions. The aim is to learn together and deepen understanding through conversation.

All videos will be selected from this DataCite playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNfmVgA6BeiTTWMd68kRlLgLb36jkGiMi

Key Questions We Will Explore

During the session, we will focus on the following questions:

What is metadata?
Why should librarians understand metadata?
How does metadata support open science and open data?
What role do persistent identifiers play in research workflows?
How can DataCite tools and services support libraries and researchers?

Session Objectives

By the end of the Listening Party, participants will be able to:

Understand the basic concept of metadata and why it matters
Explain the role of metadata in open science and research visibility
Identify key DataCite tools and services
Appreciate the importance of DOIs and persistent identifiers
Engage confidently in conversations about open data infrastructure

Who Should Attend?

This session is specially designed for professionals working in academic and research libraries.
However, it is open to a wider audience.

You are welcome to attend if you are:

A librarian or information professional
Interested in open science or open data
Curious about metadata and persistent identifiers
Working with research data or institutional repositories
Interested in DataCite tools, DOIs, metadata, or APIs

Early-career professionals and students are also encouraged to join.

Date and Time

Date: Monday, 12th May 2025
Time: 11:00 AM GMT | 12:00 PM WAT | 1:00 PM CAT / SAST | 2:00 PM EAT

Please select the time that matches your location.

Registration

Participation is free, but registration is required.

REGISTER

A Zoom link will be shared with registered participants before the session.

About the Project

This Listening Party is part of the ongoing DataCite-funded project titled “Open Data Infrastructure Course for African Libraries.” The project is being implemented by the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA). The project aims to strengthen the capacity of African libraries. It focuses on open data infrastructure, metadata, and persistent identifiers.