Supporting Sensitive Research Data Management In Québec: Challenges and Opportunities For Librarians and Data Professionals

In Canada, considerable regulations and policies have come into effect in recent years to ensure the confidentiality and security of sensitive research data. Sensitive data in academic research refers to information that, if disclosed, can lead to adverse consequences for an individual, entity, or community. In research contexts, a main type of sensitive data involves personal information, or information that is collected with personally identifying information (PII). Research data management (RDM) librarians in Canada have worked as a community for more than 15 years to develop toolkits, processes, and best practice guidance for managing, storing, sharing, and curating research data, including sensitive data. However, in 2021, a major update to the existing privacy law in Québec (Law 25) regarding the handling of personal information, came into effect, which is presenting new challenges within the provincial jurisdiction.

This presentation will discuss selected results of a qualitative interview study conducted in 2025 of 11 academic researchers or research staff from several academic institutions in Québec who collect, manage, and share sensitive research data containing PII. The study focuses on their perspectives regarding the impact of Law 25 on their research and their ability to align with RDM best practices. In addition, we included questions on the role of librarians and data curators in supporting their work, and their experiences in using compliant infrastructure platforms or services. One key pattern that we identified from our thematic analysis of the interviews includes a lack of awareness of specialized data services, infrastructure support, and expertise that is offered by libraries and data professionals. We will discuss opportunities and challenges for librarians and data professionals in building and maintaining awareness of research support services for sensitive research data management in an increasingly complex research and regulatory landscape.