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Data Management for Libraries: A LITA Guide, by Laura Krier and Carly A. Strausser. Chicago, IL: ALA TechSource, 2014, pp. 112. $58.00. ISBN-13: 978-1-55570-969-3.

Elizabeth Parang

Research & Instruction Librarian

Pepperdine University Libraries

Malibu, California

E-mail: [email protected]

Big data is a phrase many librarians encounter with increasing frequency. According to Wikipedia, “Big data is a broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. Challenges include analysis, capture, data curation, search, sharing, storage, transfer, visualization, and information privacy” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data). The library's role in meeting these challenges is presented in Data Management for Libraries. In the Preface, the authors state that their goal is to provide guidance to librarians who are striving to provide some level of data management consulting services (p. vii). They note that librarians cannot build this service on their own but need support from many levels of the institution. Throughout the book they offer tips on how to build this support.

As is typically the case with titles in the LITA (Library Information Technology Association) guide series, chapter 1 addresses the central question to be considered in the book, “What is data management?” This includes why the library should become involved and what benefit faculty would gain from effective and efficient data management. Faculty are often more concerned with conducting research and amassing data than in organizing and preserving it for future access. Librarians can build on current relationships with faculty and can apply existing skills to data management. Chapter 1 introduces the idea of the data management plan, noting that such plans are now required by many grants, especially those from the National Science Foundation. Other researchers wish to examine the data from which conclusions were drawn, as the cost of replicating the research can be prohibitive. Thus the creation of a local repository or the use of a subject-specific repository to preserve and provide access to data is vital.

The authors next address the question of how to start a data management service in a library. Both the availability of resources and the demand for assistance should be taken into consideration. The authors suggest starting with a pilot project, being willing to fail, and making small changes until you succeed. Collaborating with researchers and determining what specific services are needed will have quicker positive results than a “build it and they will come” attitude. Possible services can range from informational through the provision of a local institutional repository. For example, my library provides a LibGuide on Managing Data Sets (http://infoguides.pepperdine.edu/datacuration), an institutional repository, and membership in ICPSR (Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research), which provides access to and accepts deposit of digital data for the social science research community. Different levels of service demand different levels of staffing; the authors discuss the possible makeup of a data management team.

Having laid the groundwork in chapters 1 and 2, the authors next address areas of the data life cycle where librarians have specific skills to contribute: data management plan creation, the data management interview, metadata, data preservation, access, and data governance issues.

In chapter 3, the authors report on two studies that found that researchers need help locating and following the requirements for data management and creating data management plans (p. 18). Librarians might offer workshops or work one-on-one with researchers to write plans. The authors provide tips on motivating researchers to create data management plans plus some general advice. A useful, bullet-point discussion of the main components of a plan is included. Appendix C consists of two example plans.

Conducting a data management interview will draw on skills librarians have perfected in conducting thorough reference interviews. The librarian will need to develop knowledge of the types of research conducted on campus, departmental resources available to researchers, and accepted practices in the specific field of research being discussed (p. 31). A good relationship with the campus IT department will help. The authors suggest creating data curation profiles to help understand how researchers currently work with data and what else they would like to do with the data; they recommend using the Data Curation Profiles Toolkit (http://datacurationprofiles.org).

Chapter 5, “Metadata,” covers a topic familiar to many librarians but unfamiliar to many researchers. After listing some popular metadata schemas used in libraries and some from other fields, the authors provide an overview of descriptive metadata, administrative metadata, and structural metadata. The authors feel that metadata services may be the most useful services for librarians to provide, as many researchers know little about metadata. Possible services range from information on a website to training workshops to working one-on-one with a researcher, depending on available resources and knowledge.

Data preservation is best addressed early in the research process. Providing ongoing access to digital data differs significantly from providing access to print files. The researcher needs to understand the differences among storage, preservation of the data, and archiving, where the data are available in a user-friendly digital system. Repository types, both domain and institutional, are presented. The cost of preservation for the long term is addressed, and the role of metadata in preservation is discussed. Maintaining a local repository is a major commitment. Appendix A consists of resources to consult if one is being considered.

Access to data is facilitated by proper organization of the data files, documentation via recognized metadata schemas, and the application of adequate preservation methods. Chapter 8 covers access issues, including whether access will be available only to authorized persons or openly available to all. Because institutions and funders may have specific access requirements, a library providing data management services should propose an institutional data policy. A policy can clarify issues of data ownership and protect personal information of research subjects (p. 62). The policy should either require or strongly encourage research projects to include a data management plan. This chapter also introduces the role of identifiers, such as DOIs, for data sets. Some identifier schemes are general, such as the universally unique identifier (UUID), while others are domain or discipline specific, such as the LSID (life sciences identifier). The use of resolvers and the necessity to maintain identifiers is presented. The benefits of access, issues to consider in selecting an appropriate repository, and suggestions of what to do if a faculty member is unwilling to submit data to a repository make up the rest of this chapter.

Data governance issues are the topic of the final chapter. The authors state, “Data governance is the system of rights, rules, and responsibilities that specify who can do what with data” (p. 71). They discuss why knowledge of data governance is needed, how it can facilitate sharing data, and who the stakeholders are. The application of copyright to data sets and the licensing of data sets are addressed, including the use of Creative Commons licenses. Privacy, confidentiality, and ethical issues involved with open access are mentioned.

Data Management for Libraries will be particularly useful for small and medium-sized libraries that will not be able to initially hire a dedicated data management librarian. Throughout the book the authors discuss how librarians from various sectors of the library can contribute their unique skill sets to data management. If a library has the resources to hire a data librarian, Appendix B includes sample data librarian job descriptions.

Like other titles in the LITA Guide series, this book is written primarily for academic librarians, provides a compact overview of a current service, and is aimed at librarians unfamiliar with the topic. The reader will achieve a basic understanding of the issues involved in assisting researchers with managing their data. The authors Laura Krier (web services librarian, Sonoma State University) and Carly A. Strasser (program officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation) have previously worked for the California Digital Library as a metadata librarian and data curation specialist respectively, and they bring practical experience to the discussions throughout the book. Although the book does not include a comprehensive bibliography, each chapter has endnotes that lead to further information on the topic. An index is included. Data Management for Libraries is available as an ebook from several suppliers.