Sarah M. Pritchard
University Librarian
University of California, Santa Barbara
Faculty Research Data: Informatics and Archiving, Keynote Address

Bio

Sarah Pritchard has been the University Librarian at the University of California, Santa Barbara since 1999. Previously, she was the Director of Libraries at Smith College; Associate Executive Director at the Association of Research Libraries; and held several public service positions at the Library of Congress. She has a BA from the University of Maryland, and masters degrees in French and in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Ms. Pritchard has served three terms on the Council of the American Library Association, and has chaired several ALA committees and sections including currently the Committee on Professional Ethics. In regional and national library networks, she has served on boards and committees for the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, OCLC, the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and the Library of California. At UCSB, she is leading major projects related to digital libraries, building planning, consortial services, special collections and fund development.

The author of over 60 articles, reviews and compilations, she serves on several editorial boards and grant panels and has lectured and consulted in North America, Europe and Asia on women\'s studies, electronic services, collection development, library management and other professional issues.

Presentation Abstract

While much attention is given to digital archiving of publications, courseware, and records, there are few institutional approaches to the long-term retention of important research data. At the same time, digital applications have proliferated among faculty for storing and processing large amounts of data. Exploring the characteristics of such systems at UCSB, we asked whether these informatics schema provide for metadata creation, long-term archiving, rights management, data exchange and adherence to technical standards. Do faculty attend to these issues? Does it vary by discipline? Are there any system commonalities that could be leveraged? What are the implications for digital library services and for collaboration with campus information technology units? What is the role of data archives supported by disciplinary societies and funding agencies? This project, supported by the Andrew Mellon Foundation, will be discussed in more depth with an overview of implications for cyberinfrastructure in higher education.