Introduction to providing data services at a liberal arts college library. With recommended resources.

1. Data Services at a Liberal Arts
College Library
Julie Judkins

2. Common types of
academic research data
 Observational: captured in real time
 survey data, telemetry
 Experimental: captured with lab equipment
 gene sequences
 Simulation: data is input to create a model
 climate or economic models
 Derived or compiled: drawn from many sources
 text and data mining
Credit: MIT Libraries

3. Goals of Data Management
 To organize data
 To store and backup data
 To preserve data over time
 To share data with colleagues
Credit: MIT Libraries

4. Why are data services
needed?
 Unprecedented amounts of data &
improving ability to process it
 Evolution of research practices
 Federal mandates

5. Unprecedented amounts of data &
improving ability to process it
“Just as the telescope enabled us to
comprehend the universe and the
microscope allowed us to understand
germs, the new techniques for collecting
and analyzing huge bodies of data will
help us make sense of our world in ways
we are just starting to appreciate.”
- Mayer-Schönberger and Cukier 2013

6. Changes in research
practices
Research is increasingly more:
 Collaborative
 Data-intensive
 Computational
Researchers are interested in datasets but
aren’t sure where to find them

7. Federal Mandates
January 18, 2011: all NSF proposals must include a Data
Management Plan (DMP), not to exceed two pages
March 29, 2012: White House announces “Big Data
Initiative” with $200 million in research and development
February 22, 2013: Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP) directs agencies to provide public access to all
federally funded research by August 2013
May 9, 2013: President Obama signs open data executive
order

8. Data Services at a Liberal
Arts College
 Successful implementation at
comparable institutions
 Small size facilitates:
 collaboration
 embedded librarianship
 ability to foster projects across
disciplines and longitudinally
 Significant research to
contribute
 Partnerships
Flickr:WillametteBiology

9. Value for the library
“…the library is a
fountain of knowledge
whose potential has
not yet been fully
tapped. Data curation
is an avenue to
demonstrate how
integral the library can
be in the research
process.”
Scaramozzino,
Ramirez, and
McGaughey 2012
Flickr:Almost-Normal

10. Value for Students
 Improved ability to
perform research assistant
duties
 Confidence when
completing projects
 More competitive as
graduate school applicants
and within the job market
 Foster additive
collaboration across
generations
Flickr:Lewis&ClarkCollege

11. Value for Faculty
 Help through stressful
grant process
 Troubleshooting
 Provide training for
necessary additional skills
 Increased citation, leading
to greater visibility for
researcher’s work and
enhanced reputation for
College or University
ReedMagazine

12. Immediate Steps
 Outreach and Education
 LibGuide
 blog entries
 videos/webinars
 Needs Assessment
 Data Reference at point of need
 Building partnerships

13. Long-term
• Improve existing services in response to feedback
and formal assessment
• Expand collaborations and partnerships
• Add educational components?
• Create physical space to support data services?
• DASIL: Data Analysis and Social Inquiry Lab (Grinnell)
• DataStudio and Learning Lab (CalPoly)
• Integrate data services with Senior Thesis
• Advocacy

14. Recommended Resources
Carlson, Jake R. (2011). "Demystifying the Data Interview: Developing a Foundation for Reference
Librarians to Talk with Researchers about their Data.” Libraries Research Publications. Paper 153.
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/lib_research/153
Goldstein, Sarah and Sarah K. Oelker (2011). "Planning for Data Curation in the Small Liberal Arts
College Environment," Sci-Tech News: Vol. 65: Iss. 3, Article 4.
http://jdc.jefferson.edu/scitechnews/vol65/iss3/4
Mayer-Schönberger, Viktor and Kenneth Cukier (2013). Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform
How We Live, Work, and Think.
MIT Libraries. “Managing Research Data 101.” http://bit.ly/15gxUBu
Scaramozzino, Jeanine, Marisa L. Ramírez, and Karen J. McGaughey (2012). “A Study of Faculty
Data Curation Behaviors and Attitudes at a Teaching-Centered University.” College & Research
Libraries. 73:349-365
Shorish, Yasmeen (2012). “Data Curation Is for Everyone! The Case for Master’s and Baccalaureate
Institutional Engagement with Data Curation.” Journal of Web Librarianship. 6:4, 263-273, DOI:
10.1080/19322909.2012.729394
Tenopir, Carol, Ben Birch, and Suzie Allard (2012). “Academic Libraries and Research Data Services,
Current Practices and Plan for the Future.” Association of College & Research Libraries.