Data Librarian, Yale University, New Haven, CT

Posted March 7, 2018

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In an ever-changing, data-intensive environment, the Data Librarian is an enthusiastic, user-centered individual who will be responsible for the design of the library’s data support program, working collaboratively with others at Yale involved in data education and policy. This position reports to the Assistant Director of Research and Education Services and is a member of the Research and Education Team.

Through consultation and collaboration, the Data Librarian works to enable faculty, students, clinicians and researchers to leverage data resources to the fullest, providing information on acquisition and management of datasets for biomedical, clinical, and health sciences research. Increases the visibility and usability of data resources through research consultations, workshops and course-integrated instruction, online research guides, and outreach efforts. With an understanding of best practices and knowledge of a wide range of datasets and information resources, the librarian identifies the data needs of the Yale biomedical community. The librarian develops and provides training, instruction and strategies to best use data resources and tools. The incumbent supports the discovery, use, and management of locally created and externally available data.

The Data Librarian will serve as the in-house expert for staff and users on the research data management cycle, collaborating closely with the Biomedical Research Support librarian and other librarians involved in data at Yale. The librarian helps researchers manage their data, navigate Yale University’s available data landscape, and adhere to federal or other grant funding agencies’ data management and public access policies and requirements. Serves as a primary liaison between the Library and data groups within the Medical Center and is pivotal to defining and expanding the Library’s role in supporting innovation in data services, including biomedical informatics and precision medicine. The Data Librarian will advocate FAIR Data Principles, the library’s role in addressing research reproducibility, and will be knowledgeable about appropriate discipline-specific health sciences repositories. The Data Librarian will coordinate the Medical Library’s data policies and evaluate and promote data tools and services.

This librarian is a member of the Research Data Consultation Group, and develops relationships with campus groups, including the Yale Center for Biomedical Data Science, Yale Center for Analytical Sciences (YCAS), and Joint Data Analytics Team (JDAT), concerning issues of managing, curating, visualizing, analyzing, sharing, and preserving research data. Participates in outreach and research/instruction program planning and implementation for the Medical Library. Participates in Yale Library planning, committees, and task forces, and engages in campus, regional, and national professional organizations and collaborative activities. Participates in professional activities outside of Yale and monitors developments and best practices elsewhere to help ensure the excellence of Yale’s research support services and collections. May represent Yale to state, national, and international data organizations.

Essential Duties:

1. Develops and coordinates research data support services.
2. Develops and leads instructional sessions about the use of various data resources and tools, and best practices for data access, collection, management, preservation and dissemination with a targeted focus on medical and health-related data.
3. Provides data lifecycle support to faculty, students and staff in academic departments, schools and research center through consultations and in-person and virtual reference services
4. Assists in locating external datasets, writing data management plans, and identifying data management resources. Offers data management education tailored to the needs of departments and labs.
5. Monitors the landscape of data management plans required by funding agencies (National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, etc.) and major biomedical publishers and begins to design support services to respond to these requirements.
6. As a representative of the library, interacts with various groups involved in data science, such as the Yale Center for Analytical Sciences, the Joint Data Analytics Team, and the Yale Center for Biomedical Data Science, and collaborates with other Yale University Library and University-wide data interest groups to promote awareness of data resources, products, and services among faculty, students and staff through outreach and embedded activities.
7. Coordinates ongoing training and support for library staff on research data management fundamentals and services.
8. Develops library collections of data and data-related materials.
9. Develops and maintains awareness of data-centered strategies and technologies across the health sciences; attends relevant professional development activities and conferences
10. May work across the different Yale campuses: Medical, Central, West, and Science campuses.
11. May participate in the library’s long-established departmental liaison and/or Personal Library programs.
12. May be required to assist with disaster recovery.
13. May perform other duties as assigned.