Source: Flickr – Username: Wonderferret
This week we hosted a follow-up to our environmental scan webinar to talk about the tools and research that goes into an effective outreach program. Data Services not only has a knowledge component, but also requires technical support, administration, and researcher involvement. No one person, or even one department, can do all these things alone.
The Library as the Hub
Data services is one of the areas that modern research libraries can really make a major impact, filling the leadership vacuum that so many institutions currently face. While information architecture and data archiving are (relatively) new fields of inquiry, they are built on a long tradition of understanding how information is accessed, used, and understood. Libraries have a mandate to collect and coordinate knowledge resources for the betterment of the public or their host institutions.
How does this Relate to Data Management Planning?
Libraries have a future as the destination for data. Even resources that may not be hosted at the physical library, such as census data or other publicly available sources, can still be cataloged and made accessible to library patrons in ways that support research and academic inquiry. Fostering relationships with data producers in the sciences, social sciences, or humanities will help to ensure that not only will these data be available in the future, but they’ll be useful as well.
If you want to learn more about how to effectively coordinate within your institution to tackle data services, check out our webinar series to find the environmental scan and talking points recordings. You should also check our bitbucket wiki’s Outreach Materials page for a 2-page document on effective talking point formatting and a series of useful examples.
