What are we even doing here? Building a community of people working with data

Abstract

Why do we even care about data? What value do data bring us and what value do humans bring to the data landscape? As AI becomes the default in data conversations, data curators are thinking critically about what this means. Intentional efforts from professionals such as curators invested in making data FAIR are key to preserving the meaning of data. There is unique value and importance in people’s labor and experiences when documenting and preserving data. It is the people who dig into the context and elevate what is missing to help make the data more FAIR. In this talk we will address a project from the Data Curation Network (DCN) funded by Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant [re-252343-ols-22] to support the development of specialized curriculum for data curation training for information professionals and data stewards. Key to this work was drawing together data curators and information professionals to create in-depth training resources for four specialized data types: geospatial data, scientific images, code, and simulations. Using a cohort model with a guiding mentor, the project relied upon co-developing strategies to effectively and equitably work with volunteers to generate community-based resources. Community building, co-designing, bringing people from different types of disciplines, data backgrounds, and experiences are equally as important as developing curriculum and sharing it. In fact we have found that the curriculum benefits from and is made stronger when various intersectional voices are present. In this project briefing, the mentors will provide an overview of the community building that went into forming cohorts that developed, piloted and refined specialized data curation curriculum, reflect what worked well and where there are opportunities, and describe directions for future work for the DCN as well as how others can adapt for their own needs. The value that data curators in community bring to institutions, researchers, and data reuse will enable greater usability of data into the future.

Presented at the Coalition for Networked Information Spring 2025 member meeting.