Exploring the Role of Data Consultation and data FAIR principles in Modern Librarianship

Digital data has experienced exponential growth and transformed the landscape of research and scholarship. Scholarly libraries now serve as repositories for not just books and text articles, but also for digital data and other digital information. The imperative role of librarians can no longer be undermined or overlooked. Librarians are no longer stereotyped but seen as active members of the research community. They are now becoming increasingly pivotal in ensuring effective data stewardship by adhering to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) data principles. These principles help researchers ensure that their data is discoverable, accessible, and usable by others. They guide the creation of metadata, data curation, and data preservation strategies. Librarians can offer support services through consultations in managing the data life cycle, educating on ethical concerns, and ensuring that compliance requirements are met by researchers. When data consultation and advocacy are incorporated into librarianship, librarians can contribute significantly to fostering transparency, innovations and sustainability in management of data. This can empower researchers to maximize the impact of their work and contribute more to the advancement of knowledge. This paper looks at the future of integrating data management into modern day librarianship.

Keywords: data consultation, librarianship, FAIR principles, data preservation, data curation, advocacy, digital data, management of data, transparency, data stewardship.