Data management : a practical guide for librarians

Libraries organize information and data is information, so it is natural that librarians should help people who need to find, organize, use, or store data. Organizations need evidence for decision making; data provides that evidence. Inventors and creators build upon data collected by others. All around us, people need data. Librarians can help increase the relevance of their library to the research and education mission of their institution by learning more about data and how to manage it.



Data Management will guide readers through:



Understanding data management basics and best practices. Using the reference interview to help with data management Writing data management plans for grants. Starting and growing a data management service. Finding collaborators inside and outside the library. Collecting and using data in different disciplines.

What is data and why should librarians be involved? -- Understanding research and the role of data -- Best practices for working with research data -- Data interviews -- Storing, curating, and preserving data -- Documentation and metadata -- Publishing and sharing data -- Writing data management plans -- Starting data management services -- Leveraging partnerships -- Expanding RDM service -- Teaching data -- Reusing data -- Data management roles for librarians.