How You Can Write More Inclusive Data Practitioner Job Postings

The principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion have long been incorporated into many aspects of the data practitioner profession. The hiring process is an exception; it is opaque, stress-inducing, and ultimately reinforces a homogeneous workforce. Job postings are important both as a window into the profession and as the first way that candidates interact with your institution. This Commentary article provides concrete and actionable recommendations on how you can start writing more equitable, diverse, and inclusive job postings at your institution. The substance of this article is based upon a panel presentation at RDAP Summit 2019

Finding a Place for Video Games on your Campus

Video games are an emerging technology topic in libraries, relevant to instruction, collections, research, and outreach. This session will cover starting a conversation about gaming in libraries on your campus. We will discuss the creation of a Gaming Community of Practice at the University of Minnesota Libraries, and share recommendations for identifying opportunities to integrate gaming and game-based learning on your campus

Giving Datasets Context: a Comparison Study of Institutional Repositories that Apply Varying Degrees of Curation

This research study compared four academic libraries’ approaches to curating the metadata of dataset submissions in their institutional repositories and classified them in one of four categories: no curation, pre-ingest curation, selective curation, and post-ingest curation. The goal is to understand the impact that curation may have on the quality of user-submitted metadata. The findings were 1) the metadata elements varied greatly between institutions, 2) repositories with more options for authors to contribute metadata did not result in more metadata contributed, 3) pre- or post-ingest curation process could have a measurable impact on the metadata but are difficult to separate from other factors, and 4) datasets submitted to a repository with pre- or post-ingest curation more often included documentation

3D Scanning in the Library!

Experimenting with new uses of technologies can be a great way to engage library users. We will teach workshop participants how to use an Xbox Kinect, the motion sensing device that allows for gesture control, and Skanect software to create 3D scans of participants. Users can manipulate their scan files in any way they choose, including creating a 3D print of it. In demonstrating how to use this technology, we will show how the activity can be done using a basic swivel chair to make “busts” of participants or, for the especially adventurous, building your own motorized rotating platform for full body scans. Finally, we will share our workflow that we applied to multiple events, including a city-wide art festival and multiple Libraries’ events. This activity allows participants to explore gaming technology in interactive and new ways and hopefully inspire participants to try this at their own institutions

XML: Web 2.0 Fad or the Open Source Solution to Interoperability?

There are many factors, applications, and characteristics about the markup language itself that have made XML, “…the predominant mechanism for electronic data interchange between information systems…” (Adler, Cochrane, Morar, & Spector, 2006, p. 207). Some of these that will be further explored in this paper include the advantage of being an open source program, using XML to solve information searching and retrieving dilemmas on the Web, and the examination of XML both inside and outside of the library setting. Many information specialists are in favor of the open source extensible markup language XML as its purpose is to aid information systems in sharing structured data; however, this is still a fairly new technology and there are also criticisms of it in addition to the large amount of excitement and praise. The intent of this paper is to examine the ever-increasing role that XML as an open source entity plays in the field of library and information science, specifically in regards to information retrieval. This paper will mostly focus on the use of XML in libraries; however, due to the multi-system accessibility of XML, I will also explore a wide range of studies and criticism that fall outside of the library setting as well

Expanding Research Data Services with Deep Blue Data

This poster was presented at the Research Data Access and Preservation (RDAP) conference in May 2015.Deep Blue Data is a new repository offered by the University of Michigan (U-M) Library that provides access and preservation services for digital research data that were developed or used in the support of research activities at U-M. Deep Blue Data is built on open source Hydra Fedora software with the brand new Sufia 7 gem. The Hydra community offers many valuable resources including community-driven open source software, tutorials, mailing lists, as well as several working groups and interest groups. Sufia 7 provides many new features, including an improved user interface, multiple file upload, and integrated social features as well as options for self-deposit and proxy deposit. This poster gives an overview of how U-M Library was able to expanded its research data services via Deep Blue Data and how using Hydra Fedora and Sufia 7 software allows libraries to better support their research communities.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120431/1/Neeser_RDAP_poster.pdfDescription of Neeser_RDAP_poster.pdf : Poste

Making Job Postings More Equitable: Evidence Based Recommendations from an Analysis of Data Professionals Job Postings Between 2013-2018

Objective - Over the last decade, many academic libraries have hired data professionals to offer research data services. As these positions often require different types of experience than traditional librarian positions, there is an increased interest in hiring professionals from outside the typical library and information science (LIS) pipeline. More broadly, there has also been an increased interest in academic libraries and higher education to incorporate the principles and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) into their work. These phenomena allow an opportunity to examine the growing area of data professionals and library hiring practices through the lens of DEI&A. Data was collected from 180 data professional job positions, including education, experiences, and skills, to better understand the evolving and complex landscape of data professionals and to provide evidence based recommendations regarding how the profession can enact meaningful and lasting change in the areas of DEI&A.Methods - The qualifications and responsibilities listed in data professional job postings from 2013 to 2018 were examined. Prior to analyzing the job postings, a codebook of 43 variables was developed. The 177 data professional job postings (corresponding to 180 positions) were independently analyzed, noting the presence of each variable, including the locations and the degrees of complexity sought. After coding, discrepancies were mutually resolved. Overall, the coding process had 94% intercoder agreement, which indicates a high level of agreement.Results - Over one-third of postings (n = 63, 35%) did not use the word “librarian” in the job title. Eighty-eight percent (n = 159) required a Master’s in LIS degree, but 67% (n = 119) also accepted an equivalent degree. Over half of the positions (n = 108, 60%) were also looking for an additional degree, most frequently a graduate degree. The median salary of the positions listing a quantitative value was $57,000; however, this value may not be accurate because only 26% of job positions (n = 47) gave a quantitative salary. From the research data management skills mentioned, general data management (n = 155, 86%), data repositories (n = 122, 68%), and data curation (n = 101, 56%) appeared most frequently. Libraries were also looking for traditional LIS skills and experiences, including instruction (n = 138, 77%), consultation (n = 121, 67%), and a public services perspective (n = 69, 38%).Conclusion - The results show that academic libraries are trying to recruit candidates from outside the traditional academic library pipeline. Research data activities (a non-traditional area for LIS) and traditional LIS areas were both frequently mentioned. Overall, these job positions should be written through a more intentional lens of DEI&A. This would help to make data professional positions more diverse and inclusive, while also helping academic libraries to reach their goal of recruiting outside of LIS. A set of concrete DEI&A recommendations are provided that are applicable for writing all library positions, so that readers can put these results into action and enact meaningful change within the profession