We live in a data-driven world, much of it processed and served up by increasingly complex algorithms, and evaluating its quality requires its own skillset. As a component of information literacy, it's crucial that students learn how to think critically about statistics, data, and related visualizations. Here, Bauder and her fellow contributors show how librarians are helping students to access, interpret, critically assess, manage, handle, and ethically use data. Offering readers a roadmap for effectively teaching data literacy at the undergraduate level, this volume explores such topics as the potential for large-scale library/faculty partnerships to incorporate data literacy instruction across the undergraduate curriculum; how the principles of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education can help to situate data literacy within a broader information literacy context; a report on the expectations of classroom faculty concerning their students’ data literacy skills; various ways that librarians can partner with faculty; case studies of two initiatives spearheaded by Purdue University Libraries and University of Houston Libraries that support faculty as they integrate more work with data into their courses; Barnard College’s Empirical Reasoning Center, which provides workshops and walk-in consultations to more than a thousand students annually; how a one-shot session using the PolicyMap data mapping tool can be used to teach students from many different disciplines; diving into quantitative data to determine the truth or falsity of potential “fake news” claims; and a for-credit, librarian-taught course on information dissemination and the ethical use of information.

The strategies and initiatives detailed in this book will empower data librarians, information literacy instructors, library liaisons, and reference staff to successfully incorporate data literacy into their work.

In an age where data flows non-stop, across all geographic borders and accessible to many, the job of providing information literacy has become much more exciting, more complicated, and more necessary. Information and Data Literacy: The Role of the Library takes a comprehensive look at the changing role of today’s librarians and libraries in an increasingly tech-driven world. You’ll find the authors of this book represent public and academic libraries, countries around the globe, and differences of opinion as to the definition, purpose, charge, and success of providing information and data literacy. The book is divided into several parts, covering: Understanding the role of information and data literacy in the library The new and changing roles for librarians Methods for promoting information and data literacy New challenges for the library in the new information environment The need for information and data literacy for marginalized populations, including the homeless, those in rural settings, sexual minorities, and others Addressing the trends and challenges at different types of libraries, the volume provides an overview of information and data literacy in the library and offers an array of perspectives. Topics cover: The role of the public library as a community hub Student information literacy in the mobile environment Information literacy in schools How the information landscape has changed library reference services Library instruction and exercises to promote information literacy for both traditional students and those in continuing education Edited by a consultant with the Freedom to Read Foundation who is a former outreach and assistive technology librarian, the book offers a wealth of information for beginning librarians as well as for seasoned library professionals looking for new methods to evaluate and promote data and information literacy.

Higher education institutions in the United States and across the globe, are realizing the importance of enabling internal and external collaborative work, e.g., interdisciplinary research and community partnerships. In recent years, researchers have documented the benefits of organizational collaboration for research including greater efficiency, effectiveness, and enhanced research reputation. In addition, accreditors, foundations, business, and government agencies have been espousing the value of collaboration for knowledge creation and research and improved organizational functioning. As a result of both the external pressures and the known benefits, many forms of internal and external research collaborations have begun to emerge in higher education. At the heart of this change, academic libraries, who have long been models for collaborative work, are increasingly participating in the research process by providing a widening range of research services beyond traditional reference services. Innovative library services, in areas such as bibliometric analysis, research data management, and data repositories, are evolving in response to changes in education funding and policies. These funding and policy changes have also coincided with technological developments to create opportunities for academic librarians to find new roles within their institutions and the research community. There is a growing body of literature examining these changing academic library roles, but few volumes have concentrated on how the nature of collaborative work in libraries is helping to reshape institutional research practices. Academic Libraries and Collaborative Research Services fills that void by providing academic librarians and administrators with case studies and guidance on how academic libraries are establishing their place in this new collaborative research arena in the areas of emerging liaison roles, research data services, open access and scholarly publishing, and professional development programming. The book will also be useful to higher education administrators and institutional research officers looking for information on how to partner with libraries to increase the effectiveness of collaborative research.

Beyond providing space for data science activities, academic libraries are often overlooked in the data science landscape that is emerging at academic research institutions. Although some academic libraries are collaborating in specific ways in a small subset of institutions, there is much untapped potential for developing partnerships. As library and information science roles continue to evolve to be more data-centric and interdisciplinary, and as research using a variety of data types continues to proliferate, it is imperative to further explore the dynamics between libraries and the data science ecosystems in which they are a part. The Handbook of Research on Academic Libraries as Partners in Data Science Ecosystems provides a global perspective on current and future trends concerning the integration of data science in libraries. It provides both a foundational base of knowledge around data science and explores numerous ways academicians can reskill their staff, engage in the research enterprise, contribute to curriculum development, and help build a stronger ecosystem where libraries are part of data science. Covering topics such as data science initiatives, digital humanities, and student engagement, this book is an indispensable resource for librarians, information professionals, academic institutions, researchers, academic libraries, and academicians.

This inspiring book will enable academic librarians to develop excellent research and instructional services and create a library culture that encompasses exploration, learning and collaboration. Higher education and academic libraries are in a period of rapid evolution. Technology, pedagogical shifts, and programmatic changes in education mean that libraries must continually evaluate and adjust their services to meet new needs. Research and learning across institutions is becoming more team-based, crossing disciplines and dependent on increasingly sophisticated and varied data. To provide valuable services in this shifting, diverse environment, libraries must think about new ways to support research on their campuses, including collaborating across library and departmental boundaries. This book is intended to enrich and expand your vision of research support in academic libraries by: Inspiring you to think creatively about new services. Sparking ideas of potential collaborations within and outside the library, increasing awareness of functional areas that are potential key partners. Providing specific examples of new services, as well as the decision-making and implementation process. Encouraging you to take a broad view of research support rather than thinking of research and instruction services, metadata creation and data services etc as separate initiatives. Dynamic Research Support in Academic Libraries provides illustrative examples of emerging models of research support and is contributed to by library practitioners from across the world. The book is divided into three sections: Part I: Training and Infrastructure, which describes the role of staff development and library spaces in research support Part II: Data Services and Data Literacy, which sets out why the rise of research data services in universities is critical to supporting the current provision of student skills that will help develop them as data-literate citizens. Part III: Research as a Conversation, which discusses academic library initiatives to support the dissemination, discovery and critical analysis of research. This is an essential guide for librarians and information professionals involved in supporting research and scholarly communication, as well as library administrators and students studying library and information science.

Academic libraries have traditionally had two key functions, to support teaching and to support research. In an evolving and competitive university environment, along with the emergence of various technologies and substantial changes in scientific communication, university management has reached a turning point. Academic libraries are facing a paradigm shift in the role they need to play to achieve the research objectives of universities. Research support services in academic libraries have evolved as a response to these changes. They are heterogeneous, adapt to their university culture, adopt different points of view, take different approaches in their organizational structures, and include a diverse catalog of activities. Having an overview of different experiences will allow libraries to adopt best practices, redefine services, and even establish new management and collaboration models. Cases on Research Support Services in Academic Libraries is a critical scholarly resource that uses case studies to systematize the experiences of research support services in academic libraries for the support of higher education faculty. The cases focus on such items as the role of technology and its impact as well as how these services help to improve the excellence of universities. Featuring a wide range of topics such as library services, data management, and open science, this book is ideal for librarians, academicians, professionals, researchers, and students.