Research Data Librarian

The Boston University Libraries seek a Research Data Librarian to build and support a range of services related to accessing, managing, sharing, and preserving research data within and among the multidisciplinary communities at Boston University. Reporting to the Director of Digital Ventures, this highly collaborative position works closely with students, faculty, library staff, and other campus partners to help identify, advise, develop, implement, and assess scalable and sustainable data services to meet the current and emerging needs of the BU community. The individual in this role works collaboratively across the Libraries and BU and will be a major contributor to Digital Ventures’ outreach efforts and relationship building.

The Research Data Librarian will:

• Develop and deliver research support through education, consultation, and workshops on evolving practices for research data management and sharing to the BU community.
• Supply guidance and facilitate discussion on recommended practices surrounding data management plans (DMPs), finding data for reuse (both open and licensed), data documentation and organization, sharing research data openly to increase collaboration and reproducibility of research results.
• Foster relationships with faculty, departments, research institutes or centers, and laboratories to maximize support across campus and identify research data management needs, including archivists and liaison librarians that are embedded in these areas.
• Provide research data management repository services and support to researchers in depositing FAIR-compliant data in BU’s generalist institutional repository or guidance to deposit in a domain-specific data repository, including metadata standards and documentation for reuse.
• Provide access, troubleshooting, and support researchers for successful use of data collections including reformatting and documentation.
• Advise and assist with the creation of data management plans (DMPs) for grant proposals. Regular outreach and engagement with the BU Office of Research’s Sponsored Programs to advise around funder requirements in data management for BU PIs and project teams.
• Supervise undergraduate, graduate students, and post-baccalaureate fellows working in data services.
• Collaborate with archivists, liaison librarians, and campus partners such as IS&T Research Computing Services and the Office of Research to identify opportunities to support the research data needs of the BU Community around managing, curating, sharing, and preserving research data, including through the development and promotion of online guides and other related supports.
• Advise on and implement scalable, sustainable, and domain-appropriate data services in support of research at BU.
• Collaborate in the broader professional academic library and research data community that may include: pursuing professional development and skills training to meet emerging and ongoing needs from the university community; actively participating in relevant professional communities, including subject and functionally focused organizations; participating in working groups, committees, and other service opportunities as a representative of research data services; and collaborating on intramural events with other BU departments or programs.

Required Skills

• Master’s degree in library and information science or combination of graduate degree and practical experience with adjacencies in data management, informatics, or production and use of datasets in research or higher education.
• Demonstrated ability with research data management processes, technologies, standards, best practices, and familiarity with trends in data sharing and reuse from funding agencies and scholarly publishers (e.g., FAIR).
• Demonstrated ability in working collegially and cooperatively within and across organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of demonstrated experience developing and/or implementing collaborations, procedures, or best practices for research data management services.
• Familiarity with one or more applications for processing or refining data (e.g., Python, R, OpenRefine, or others).
• Experience leading or participating in research projects that generate data.
• Experience providing instruction to others in data management or curation. 
• Experience with data analysis and data visualization; or computational approaches to the humanities or social sciences.