Love Data Week

Love Data Week is an international event that takes place every year during the week of Valentine’s Day. Institutions around the world host data-related events, and Rutgers Libraries in New Brunswick have a variety of workshops planned that cover coding, GIS, and data management. Check out the schedule on our NBL workshop calendar at https://libcal.rutgers.edu/nblworkshops

The theme of #LoveData23 is Data: Agent of Change. In the hope of inspiring you to use data for positive change, I’ve put together a list of sources of datasets that have been collected on social justice issues and marginalized groups. The list is not comprehensive but I hope it may be useful in thinking about data for change. Please see the list at Speaking of STEM.

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Research Services Unit formed in New Brunswick Libraries

The New Brunswick Libraries (NBL) Research Services Unit has been formed to enhance research services, broadly defined as those activities of NBL that support the research endeavor of Rutgers University-New Brunswick (RU-NB). Research Services will work to foster the NBL strategic plan goal to Strengthen Faculty and Graduate Student Research and Teaching and the research-related goals of the New Brunswick Academic Master Plan. NBL Research Services will collaborate with Rutgers University Libraries, with other Rutgers groups, and with external partners and professional organizations (such as BTAA or ALA) to strengthen the delivery of research services across the University.

One of the primary goals of the new unit is to enhance communication and collaboration among the overlapping groups of librarians with interests in research services, in order to be more nimble and responsive to changing conditions. NBL librarians have been collaborating effectively, but this unit provides a structure to further encourage and advocate for research needs.

Faculty, staff, and students engaged in research can look to NBL Research Services for assistance in the following areas (lead personnel given in parentheses):

  • Copyright Education (Janice Pilch)
  • Digital Humanities (Francesca Giannetti)
  • GIS (Susan Oldenburg)
  • Graduate and Faculty Services (Kayo Denda and Triveni Kuchi)
  • HathiTrust (Tom Glynn)
  • Intensive Literaure Review Assistant Program (serving SCI) (Triveni Kuchi and Tao Yang)
  • Open Access and Scholarly Communication (Laura Mullen)
  • Research Data Management (Laura Palumbo)
  • Research Metrics and Impact (Mei Ling Lo)
  • Statistical Data (Ryan Womack)
  • Systematic Reviews (Julia Maxwell)

For further details on these services and contact information, see https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick/about-us/research-services-new-brunswick-libraries

The work of existing teams and initiatives such as the NBL Research Data Services Team and the Graduate Specialist Program is also part of the Research Services Unit. The Head of the Research Services Unit will provide coordination and leadership to the entire group. Ryan Womack is serving as the initial Head for a three-year term through June 2025.

Upcoming posts will describe these services in more detail, along with other initiatives. Stay tuned!

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