The Position of Library-Based Data Services: What Funding Data Can Tell Us

Abstract

As academic research libraries develop services to support data management and curation, understanding the demand from researchers for new services and establishing parameters for pilot projects are key challenges for managers. Data about proposals and awards for research funding provide evidence about the potential scale, scope, and institutional location of research and data production. Information obtained from funding data can complement and contextualize insights obtained directly from individual researchers about their data management needs. This poster reports on an analysis of funding data conducted by librarians at the University of Maryland, College Park. The authors aimed to discover what funding data can tell librarians about the demand for data management support and the potential challenges for library-based services. The authors also sought to understand the limitations of funding data as a source of information.