Talk:Data library

This is a collaborative space for data services professionals to contribute commentary on this entry.

Would it help to add a link to the IASSIST blog discussion on data librarianship at http://iassistblog.org/?p=29  ? -Robin Rice

Data are becoming increasingly important in the world. Research studies are being duplicated because the original data was never preserved, resulting in millions of dollars being spent needlessly. Academic institutions are beginning to question whether they own the data collected in their faculty's research in the same way that they own patents arising from such research. Publishers are beginning to assert their ownership of data that form the basis of articles they publish. Data are becoming an economic commodity.

Being able to find the right data in a usable form (e.g., in digital format rather than on magnetic tape) is invaluable to researchers. That's the function of data libraries: to preserve and make available data from previous research to inform future research. Data libraries manage data with the owners' permission, providing an infrastructure to support its continued use and value. --Michele Hayslett

Those are excellent points, Michelle. I've just added a link to the Open Data article which touches on some of that. Someone else has added links to digital preservation and digital curation, both good ideas. (Not sure if that was a wikipedia editor or a data librarian?)

I've also re-jigged the Services section to try to take into account most of what was discussed on the blog (see above), and to expand some of the original points there. - Robin Rice