Paper — Demystifying the Data Interview

Demystifying the Data Interview

What would a “typical” librarian need to know before conducting an interview with a faculty member regarding his/her research data and associated needs in managing or curating this data?

Supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Purdue University Libraries and the Library School at the University of Illinois conducted research on “Which researchers are willing to share data, when, with whom, and under what conditions?”. The results led to the creation of the Data Curation Profiles (DCP) Toolkit, a semi-structured interview designed to assist librarians in identifying the data management needs of researchers. The authors analyzed the components of the DCP Toolkit to determine specific concepts, definitions, resources, and examples needed to provide a base level of knowledge for librarians to use the toolkit effectively.

The authors found that data concepts and terminology varied across, or even within, fields of study. Other concepts did not have an easily understandable example that could be readily referenced by librarians. Feedback collected from librarians about the DCP toolkit and working with data generally guided the selection process. The results informed the development of a workshop curriculum for training librarians in the use of the DCP Toolkit.

The results of this project will be further analyzed through assessing the impact of the training delivered in the DCP workshops, the effect of the workshop and DCP toolkit in enabling librarians to conduct data interviews, and from additional sources, such as the community forums on the DCP Toolkit website.

+ Full Paper (PDF)

Source: Libraries Research Publications (Purdue e-Pubs)

Filed under: Data Files, Interviews, Journal Articles, Libraries, Management and Leadership, Profiles, Resources