Academic librarianship as a data profession: The familiar and unfamiliar in the data role spectrum

The paper reflects on the growing importance of data in the work of academic librarians. Based on tasks related to research data management (RDM) it proposes a data role spectrum, ranging from familiar tasks such as supporting search, training and collection management, through to less familiar tasks, such as data analysis and visualisation. Areas where library work is increasingly tied up with data, such as Text and Data Mining and bibliometrics, can be analysed for their positions on the spectrum.