DIS Professor and COI Associate Dean of Academics, Dr. Yunfei Du, and Information Science Ph.D. candidate, Hammad Khan are co-authors of the recently published book “Data Science for Librarians”. The textbook was published last month by ABC-CLIO, an innovator in academic publishing.

"Data Science for Librarians" introduces data science to students and practitioners in libraries and the information science field. It focuses on core competencies of data science in librarianship and provides an overview of conceptual and practical tools for data librarian practice. The book examines topics such as data creation and collection, data for public and special libraries, and data ethics and policies, to name a few.

Data related skills have become increasingly important in the workforce. The transition from the information age to big data will require librarians and information professionals to acquire new skills and knowledge in order to stay relevant.

“The important concepts covered in the textbook can prepare data librarians, and empower a new library workforce to be ready for the new job market in the digital age,” says Du.

Khan, who is a Data Management Librarian at the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries knows full well how the role of librarians continues to evolve.

“Many 21st century librarians are being tasked with acquiring, organizing, managing, and archiving data. Librarians are asked to promote data literacy along with information literacy sessions,” said Khan.

Librarians will find the contents of the book relevant for various situations, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the current COVID-19 Pandemic we see first-hand how data plays a role in forecasting as well as impacting our daily lives," says Khan. “Unfortunately, many people are struggling to understand the data related to the pandemic, while others are having difficulties in managing and accessing data. Organizations today need people who are data literate. Individuals who can collect, interpret, visualize, and manage data." 

The book was based on the data science curriculum design at UNT, as well as Khan’s dissertation research on data literacy in library settings. The book is targeted towards librarians, but the data science principles, research data lifecycle framework, and data literacy concepts can be used in other fields.

For more about the book, visit the publisher's website.