Data librarians maintain and train others on how to use various media formats, including digital. They also help with acquiring materials and updating classification systems to move libraries and archives into the modern era.
A data librarian maintains data for any type of library, from a small public library to a corporate or government archive. Data librarians work with many media formats, including hard text and analog audio, as well as many digital media formats. These professionals often support the library data element with high-level guidance on how to find and handle specific data formats. They are seen as gatekeepers and proposals for advanced technologies that are entering more library spaces.
Along with hands-on work archiving and maintaining various types of media, a data librarian can also train others on the best ways to use media and equipment. These professionals can help visitors or other employees figure out how to best search for a file in a given media format. A data librarian can even address queries via email or correspondence, for example where remote users have unresolved issues with data formats or where the leadership of a company or organization wants to plan for future archiving.
Part of the data librarian’s role may also include information about acquiring library materials. This professional can help decision makers think about which types of media are best purchased and how to store each one. They can also help catalog or classify everything that goes into a library. By being aware of how new media are classified, a data librarian helps a library or archive move into the modern era by updating existing records and their classification systems. This may involve working with other technology professionals, such as network security experts, to ensure that an existing file is secure and safe from cybercrime.
The role of the data librarian has often been associated more with new media formats than with traditional formats. A data librarian job might focus more on the high-level maintenance needs of digital items, where a traditional librarian might be in charge of maintaining physical books. As more libraries and archives move to digital record keeping, data librarians require all of the many tasks necessary to acquire, classify, and maintain these more complex media. A job description for one of these library specialists varies based on what is held in a library or archive, how that office is funded, and where the library is going to modernize in the 21st century.
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