Data library

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What is a data library?

A data library is a collection of numeric and/or geospatial data sets for secondary use in research. (Scroll down to view definition from the Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science.) A data library is normally part of a larger institution (academic, corporate, scientific, medical, governmental, etc.) established to serve the data users of that organisation. The data library tends to house local data collections and provides access to them through various means (CD-/DVD-ROMs or central server for download). A data library may also maintain subscriptions to licensed data resources for its users to access. Whether a data library is also considered a data archive may depend on the extent of unique holdings in the collection, whether long-term preservation services are offered, and whether it serves a broader community (as national data archives do).

Importance of data libraries and data librarianship

In August 2001, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) published SPEC Kit 263: Numeric Data Products and Services, presenting results from a survey of ARL member institutions involved in collecting and providing services for numeric data resources.

Services offered by data libraries and data librarians

Library service providing support at the institutional level for the use of numerical and other types of datasets in research. Amongst the support activities typically available:

Associations

Examples of Data Library

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Data Management and Publishing tutorial, 
The EDINA Research Data Management Training (MANTRA), 
The University of Edinburgh’s Data Library and 
The University of Minnesota libraries’ Data Management Course for Structural Engineers
The London School of Economics and Political Science Data and Statistics

References

See also

Digital curation
Digital preservation
Open Data

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.