Karim Boughida
Dean of University Libraries
University of Rhode Island
Joan Peckham
Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science and Statistics
University of Rhode Island
Kimberly Pierson
Interim Director of DataSpark
University of Rhode Island
Harrison Dekker
Associate Professor and Data Services Librarian
University of Rhode Island
“When Data Analytics and Big Data/Data Science Move to the Library” (Boughida et al)
Why should librarians and info/data specialists care about data science? The interdisciplinary field of data science will be a significant and growing area of focus for our field, arguably redefining the future of librarianship and information science. It is rare for research libraries to acquire a data analytics program and serve as the umbrella entity for big data and data science at an academic institution. This panel will discuss how the University of Rhode Island (specifically libraries) was involved in acquiring the state’s longitudinal and integrated data system Dataspark, and how the Big Data Collaborative that includes participation of students, staff and scholar educators from multiple colleges is going to be positioned within the library and beyond.
“Beyond Research Data Management: Emerging Trends in Library Support for Computational Research” (Dekker)
This briefing will explore how librarians are discovering opportunities to provide new forms of support to students and researchers engaged in computational research. Examples include librarians teaching and consulting on basic programming skills, data visualization, database management and reproducible research practices. I’ll explore some possible explanations of this trend and how librarians can take advantage of emerging programs like Library Carpentry to develop proficiency and build communities of practice in these areas.
