Czech Academic and Research Discovery Services (CARDS)

Name of Operational Programme: Operational Programme Jan Amos Komenský

Call title and number: Individual system projects - VaV I, 02_22_004

Project name: Czech Academic and Research Discovery Services (CARDS)

Project registration number: CZ.02.01.01/00/22_004/0004342

Recipient: National Library of Technology

Project implementation period: 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2028

Budget: CZK 1,374,078,188.25

CARDS project: A significant step towards an open scientific space

The Czech Academic and Research Discovery Services (CARDS) project represents a key milestone in the development of academic and research institutions in the Czech Republic. Its focus on modernising and digitising the information environment opens up new perspectives in access to scientific knowledge.

Annotation of project

The CARDS project aims to create and verify in test operation a new common library-information platform for the segment of research and academic libraries in the Czech Republic. This next-generation platform (PNG) will provide high quality searchability and accessibility of resources (electronic, digitised and printed) and research results via a central search engine and other services for R&D&I communities regardless of their physical location. It also contributes to the creation of a common background for the implementation of data-oriented components of the Open Science strategy in the Czech Republic, in particular as part of the Open/FAIR Data and EOSC pillars.

Objectives of project

The main objective of the CARDS project is the creation and test operation of an R&D&I information search engine and related methodological support for working with metadata, persistent identifiers and repositories. It is important to stress that the CARDS project is complementary to the project IPs EOSC-CZ under the coordination of Masaryk University as a member of e-Infra and also to the parallel project of the National Repository Platform under the coordination of CESNET. Together, the CARDS IPs and EOSC-CZ IPs form the basic infrastructure background for the implementation of other Open Science calls under the Operational Programme JAK.

Key activities of IPs CARDS project

Key Activity 1 - Project Management

The invisible hand that manages all processes and activities related to the CARDS project. Management, control, reporting and administration are carried out in accordance with carefully set standards and norms including the Grant Decision, the approved project application, the Charter, the grant conditions, the internal regulations of the MoEYS and NLT, and the legislative framework.

Key Activity 2 - Implementation and operation of Next Generation Platform (NGP): Vision of a single space

This activity is the heart of the CARDS project. It deals with the acquisition and validation of a centrally created and populated next-generation platform that will serve as a shared space for the efficient management and sharing of diverse types of information resources. These include print, electronic and digitised documents and research data providing broad and comprehensive access to scientific knowledge. The essence of the activity is not only the acquisition of a common next-generation library platform for all participating libraries, but above all a fundamental paradigm shift in the functioning of libraries, consisting of the unification and centralisation of essential library services, starting with central cataloguing and NGP management, and ending with centralised search, sharing and provision of information resources and services.

Areas addressed include:
• Acquisition and operation of a centralised integrated NGP core software solution (library system, electronic resource management system, and discovery service) for project member institutions, with a view to long-term use and development.
• Efficient sharing of processes, capacities and data by the participating libraries, including activities such as shared cataloguing, a CARDS union catalogue, a unified search system, and a connection to national library services.
• Development of a NGP ecosystem including innovative advanced tools and services for the needs of research libraries and their users, as well as integration of third-party systems used by member institutions.
• Establishment and operation of a Service Centre for NGP management and support for activities and services of participating libraries on a single technology platform.
• More efficient use of electronic resources for research and development acquired both through the CzechELib centre and independently by individual libraries.
• Support for technology transfer centres in academic and research organisations.

Key activity 3 - Methodological support for work with research data metadata and persistent identifiers: Reliable interoperability

This activity focuses on improving interoperability between different systems, in particular data repositories. Its main objectives are to facilitate the transfer of research data metadata to the National Metadata Directory, which is being developed as part of the complementary EOSC-CZ infrastructure project, and to uniquely identify key entities in the National Data Infrastructure. In this way, a common language will be created to enable the interconnection of different information systems, facilitate work with research data and help in compliance with the FAIR principles, ultimately leading to greater visibility of Czech research in the international environment.

Areas addressed include:
• Establishment and operation of a national centre providing administrative, coordination, methodological and financial support for the introduction and use of persistent identifiers in the Czech Republic (ORCID, DOI, ISSN and others). For more information, see identifikátory.cz.
• Creation of a basic metadata model for describing research data in the Czech Republic, setting general elements for describing datasets that will be applicable in different data repositories and will ensure the interoperability of basic metadata across disciplines. For more information, see CCMM (Czech Core Metadata Model for Research Data.
• Establishment and operation of a workplace for methodological support for work with research data metadata will serve as a primary consultation point for the R&D&I community in the area of research data metadata management. For more information, see Repository and Metadata Management Centre.
• Creation and pilot operation of the National Catalogue of Repositories (NCR), recording relevant information about (data) repositories in the Czech Republic, their parameters, metadata structures and tools for metadata exchange in terms of technical options and access policies.

Target group of CARDS project

The CARDS project reaches into the heart of academia, appealing to a wide range of professionals and curious individuals. Its influence extends to researchers at universities and research institutes of the CAS, experts from various sectors of industry, workers in small and large companies, tradesmen and members of the professional and general public. For all these actors, the CARDS project opens the door to a vast treasure trove of scientific and technical information.

However, library staff and, in the future, the entire library network are also an important target group. For them, the project will mean freeing up staff capacity for other activities which currently have little time allotted to them. In this way, the library community will be able to develop its full potential and strengthen its role as a key information broker for the scientific and academic world.