Data competency for academic librarians: Evaluating present trends and future prospects

Abstract

This paper reports an investigation into the perception of academic librarians on data competency in their daily roles across various library departments in the United States and Canada. Through a survey, we sought to uncover the scope of data-related tasks librarians are engaged in, the tools they use, their aspirations for professional development in data competencies, and their expectations from Library and Information Science (LIS) education programs. The findings reveal a complex engagement pattern with data tasks, with librarians in data-specific roles dedicating a considerable portion of their work to these activities, while the majority engage less frequently, indicating that data tasks are a minor part of their overall responsibilities. Despite a limited frequency of data visualization in their current roles, there is a pronounced interest among librarians to enhance skills in this area. Our study identifies a crucial need for improved competencies in data management and collection development, especially in roles related to cataloging, library systems, and special collections. Additionally, our findings reveal a critical gap between academic libraries' demand for data skills and the content coverage in MLIS programs, emphasizing the need for curriculum updates to prepare librarians for the evolving information landscape.