A data librarian manages information for any library, from a small public library to a corporate or government archive. Data librarians work with a variety of media types, including hard text, analog audio, and digital media. These professionals typically provide high-level guidance on how to locate and treat specific data formats to the library’s data element. They are regarded as stewards and tenders of advanced technologies that are increasingly being integrated into library spaces.
A data librarian may also train others on how to use media and equipment, in addition to doing hands-on work archiving and maintaining various types of media. These experts may be able to assist visitors or other staff members in determining the best way to search an archive in a particular media format. When remote users have unsolved data format problems or the leadership of a company or organization wants to plan for future archiving, a data librarian may even take questions via e-mail or correspondence.
A data librarian’s responsibilities may also include assisting with the acquisition of library materials. This expert could assist decision-makers in determining which media types are best acquired and how to store them. They may also assist in cataloging or classifying all materials that enter a library. A data librarian can assist a library or archive in bringing its records and classification systems into the modern era by understanding how new media is classified. Working with other tech professionals, such as network security experts, to ensure that an existing archive is secure and safe from cybercrime, is one example.
The role of data librarian is frequently associated with new media formats rather than traditional media formats. A data librarian’s job may be more focused on high-level digital item maintenance, whereas a traditional librarian’s job may be to maintain physical books. Data librarians are in high demand as more libraries and archives convert to digital record-keeping. They handle all of the tasks involved in acquiring, sorting, and maintaining these more complex media. A library expert’s job description varies depending on what is kept in a library or archive, how that office is funded, and where the library is headed in the twenty-first century for modernization.